Cetera Investment Advisers Sells 5,105 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Cetera Investment Advisers lessened its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 194,746 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,105 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $12,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on AZN. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.72. 4,827,720 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,158,387. The business's 50-day moving average is $70.96 and its 200-day moving average is $69.60. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.02 billion, a PE ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS 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.