Simon Quick Advisors LLC Cuts Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Simon Quick Advisors LLC decreased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,579 shares of the company’s stock after selling 775 shares during the quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $28,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $68.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $212.73 billion, a PE ratio of 32.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $66.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.