Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 74.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,481 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,320 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Karras Company Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $3,974,000. Evoke Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 6,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,175,000 after buying an additional 2,089 shares in the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $840,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 130.8% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,530,000 after buying an additional 30,772 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $187.24 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $191.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.86. The company has a market cap of $290.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.11, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current year.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.