Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 48.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,750 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,648 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $188.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $186.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $292.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.