Kovack Advisors Inc. Sells 189 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Kovack Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,871 shares of the company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 36.2% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 22,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,758,000 after buying an additional 5,999 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 91,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,166,000 after acquiring an additional 3,359 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 3,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 953 shares in the last quarter. MQS Management LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 303.4% in the third quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 10,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 8,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simmons Bank boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 7.3% during the third quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 39,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,044,000 after purchasing an additional 2,663 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of AZN stock opened at $63.23 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $60.47 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.20. The company has a market cap of $196.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. Research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Profile

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.