AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by GTS Securities LLC

GTS Securities LLC trimmed its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 91.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,976 shares of the company's stock after selling 41,000 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $261,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,350 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,313,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 5,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded up $1.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $72.82. 8,033,731 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,195,668. The firm has a market cap of $225.83 billion, a PE ratio of 32.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $69.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.67. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. AstraZeneca's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.