Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,622 shares of the company’s stock after selling 825 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 61,271,974 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,177,000 after purchasing an additional 9,002,450 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,365,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $634,525,000 after buying an additional 29,497 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 16.7% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,417,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,565,000 after acquiring an additional 488,644 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,403,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,458,000 after acquiring an additional 186,010 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 2,990,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,588,000 after acquiring an additional 134,784 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $63.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.20.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS 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.