Smithfield Trust Co Buys 471 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,619 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 471 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $64.13 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $73.69 and its 200 day moving average is $77.86. The company has a market capitalization of $198.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.68, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.