AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,370 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.1% during the second quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 0.8% during the second quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $518,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $65.63 on Friday. 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 $203.49 billion, a PE ratio of 31.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $73.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.79. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. 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. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.