American Trust Decreases Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

American Trust trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,102 shares of the company’s stock after selling 285 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 2.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Crumly & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Sunpointe LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 3,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Finally, Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.0% during the second quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AZN stock opened at $66.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $206.44 billion, a PE ratio of 31.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.45. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $70.18 and its 200 day moving average is $76.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Company 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.