CENTRAL TRUST Co Reduces Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

CENTRAL TRUST Co lowered its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,418 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,572 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 149.3% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $87.68 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $81.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.95. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $89.32. The company has a market capitalization of $271.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 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.