Community Trust & Investment Co. Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Community Trust & Investment Co. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 183,523 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,903 shares during the quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $12,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.0% during the third quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 16,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,259,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the third quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.5 %

AZN stock opened at $65.37 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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.