AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Decreased by Spire Wealth Management

Spire Wealth Management cut its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,623 shares of the company’s stock after selling 362 shares during the quarter. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 375.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.61 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $240.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.01 and a 200-day moving average of $66.58. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $77.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.