Wealth Alliance LLC Has $1.73 Million Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Wealth Alliance LLC cut its AstraZeneca stake by 53.8% in Q1, selling 10,175 shares and leaving it with 8,755 shares worth about $1.73 million.
• AstraZeneca reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $2.58 versus $2.52 expected and revenue of $15.29 billion versus $14.93 billion forecast.
• Despite a slight share gain, the stock traded at $168.68, while analysts still see upside: the consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $211.

Wealth Alliance LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 53.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,755 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,175 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,727,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock worth $3,259,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.2%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $168.68 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $142.98 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $261.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $180.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Profile

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.

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