A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 6,985 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,975 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,985 shares during the quarter. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Old North State Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $469,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,897,000. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 108.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 27,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,756,000 after purchasing an additional 14,127 shares during the last quarter. Farmers National Bank acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $411,000. Finally, Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $648,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE:AZN opened at $181.01 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $185.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $280.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.18, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month 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. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Company 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.