Marotta Asset Management Trims Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Marotta Asset Management trimmed its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 12,586 shares of the company’s stock after selling 412 shares during the period. Marotta Asset Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $829,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management increased its position in AstraZeneca by 38.4% during the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,103,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,501,505. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $66.20 and its 200 day moving average is $75.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.