Moreno Evelyn V Sells 648 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Moreno Evelyn V trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,446 shares of the company’s stock after selling 648 shares during the period. Moreno Evelyn V’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $715,198,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $143,999,000. Manning & Napier Group LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 281.2% in the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 2,779,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,180,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,064 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 118.9% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,592,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,951,000 after acquiring an additional 1,951,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 346.3% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 1,420,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,102,490 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $78.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,667,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,047,573. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $79.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.63, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $71.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The firm had revenue of $12.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on AZN. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca 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.