Optas LLC Sells 225 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Optas LLC trimmed its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,345 shares of the company’s stock after selling 225 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. Crumly & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Veery Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $69.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $216.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.43, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 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, beating 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 company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current 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.