Marotta Asset Management Sells 412 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Marotta Asset Management lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,586 shares of the company’s stock after selling 412 shares during the period. Marotta Asset Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of AZN traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $67.29. 1,103,877 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,501,505. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.01. The firm has a market cap of $208.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal 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.