Fruth Investment Management Trims Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Fruth Investment Management decreased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,499 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,499 shares during the period. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AZN. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $188.58 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.93. The firm has a market cap of $292.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.25. 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 Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 EPS for the current 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.