AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 15.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 95,715 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,600 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the second 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 last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ AZN opened at $94.39 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $96.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $91.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.83. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $292.78 billion, a PE ratio of 31.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.34.

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