Howe & Rusling Inc. Sells 29,784 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Howe & Rusling Inc. reduced its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 19.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 119,812 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,784 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $9,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Martin Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,510,000 after purchasing an additional 16,692 shares in the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 124.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 98,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,657,000 after buying an additional 54,488 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $63.80 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $74.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $197.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.53, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

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.