AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale reduced its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Rating) by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 60,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,000 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Better Money Decisions LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 129.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. 16.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AZN. TheStreet upgraded AstraZeneca from a “c” rating to an “a” rating in a research report on Monday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on AstraZeneca from £120 ($146.43) to £130 ($158.63) in a research report on Thursday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, January 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on AstraZeneca from GBX 118 ($1.44) to GBX 126 ($1.54) in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9,510.67.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $69.15 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $214.28 billion, a PE ratio of 103.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $52.65 and a 12 month high of $72.12.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 10th. The company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $10.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.98 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.40% and a net margin of 4.52%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

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AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases.