Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,815 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,197 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth $315,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 9.7% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 6,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 23.1% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 57.3% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 181,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,303,000 after acquiring an additional 66,181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrive Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $75.90 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $80.77 and its 200 day moving average is $78.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $235.33 billion, a PE ratio of 36.67, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The company had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AZN. TD Cowen raised 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 AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate 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.