Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,074 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,074 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 15.2% during the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 18,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,253,000 after acquiring an additional 2,447 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 482,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,704,000 after purchasing an additional 128,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $65.63 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $203.49 billion, a PE ratio of 31.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.79. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.