AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 96.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,455 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,328,350 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted 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 worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the third 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. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $66.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $205.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month 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 50-day moving average of $73.19 and a 200-day moving average of $77.72.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

About AstraZeneca

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.