McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. Raises Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,232 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 328 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.6% in the first quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 6,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at $211,000. Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at $220,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 69.3% in the first quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 7,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 43.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $579,000 after acquiring an additional 2,380 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $73.74 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $69.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.15. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $85.00.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.