AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Arete Wealth Advisors LLC

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 63.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,346 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 168.0% during the 2nd quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 536 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $66.58 on Friday. 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 PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.86, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share 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.