Oakworth Capital Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Oakworth Capital Inc. reduced its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 671 shares during the quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Martin Investment Management LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $70.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $219.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.94, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $67.27 and its 200 day moving average is $73.70. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average 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.