Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Sells 8,549 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,509 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,549 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,105,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 41,200,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,879,062,000 after purchasing an additional 538,606 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.9% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,488,332,000 after buying an additional 196,401 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.6% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,695,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,446,235,000 after buying an additional 530,520 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,255,000 after buying an additional 1,605,133 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,734,000 after acquiring an additional 104,625 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AZN. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $92.95 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $288.31 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $96.51.

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

AstraZeneca 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.