J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 347.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,318 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,776 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.4%

AZN traded down $1.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $72.66. The stock had a trading volume of 6,200,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,846,153. The company has a market capitalization of $225.34 billion, a PE ratio of 29.18, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.37. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.14.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 33.14%. AstraZeneca's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.06 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current 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.