AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC decreased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,765 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,670 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $9,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. 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 in the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 376.0% in the 2nd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $89.86 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $87.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.57. The stock has a market cap of $278.69 billion, a PE ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $94.01.

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