AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Aurora Investment Counsel

Aurora Investment Counsel lessened its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 33,785 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,175 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up approximately 1.4% of Aurora Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes 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 worth $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,510,000 after acquiring an additional 16,692 shares during the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at $269,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 124.5% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 98,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,657,000 after purchasing an additional 54,488 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $63.20 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.95. The stock has a market cap of $195.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

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

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.