Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $14.72 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 191,873 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,675 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $14,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 376.0% during the second quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7%

AZN opened at $94.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50 day moving average of $90.33 and a 200-day moving average of $81.97. The stock has a market cap of $293.55 billion, a PE ratio of 31.45, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $96.51.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.