Fruth Investment Management Has $690,000 Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

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

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $534,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 166.7% during the first quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 800 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth $1,441,000. Davidson Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Meyer Handelman Co. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $386,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.6%

AZN opened at $188.58 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $184.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.93. The stock has a market cap of $292.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.25.

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