AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,585 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,600 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Martin Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after buying an additional 7,615 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after buying an additional 13,860 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $69.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $67.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.85. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $216.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.13 EPS for the current 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.