Banco Santander S.A. Sells 11,170 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Banco Santander S.A. trimmed its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 46.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,170 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $867,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 468.4% in the 4th quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $78.71. 2,929,899 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,929,956. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $78.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.45. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $80.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.08. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The business had revenue of $12.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.92 billion. Analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Citigroup upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.