Private Trust Co. NA Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,509 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 488 shares during the quarter. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. TD Cowen increased their price target 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $67.20 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $72.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.58. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $208.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 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.