Essex Savings Bank Reduces Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Essex Savings Bank trimmed its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,580 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $66.91 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $66.02 and its 200 day moving average is $74.62. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $207.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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 forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share 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.