Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 114,302 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 59.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 306,043 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 114,302 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $20,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of AZN stock traded up $1.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.00. The stock had a trading volume of 3,620,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,195,275. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm's 50-day moving average is $69.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.