AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,526,862 shares of the company’s stock after selling 542,124 shares during the period. AstraZeneca comprises approximately 1.4% of Sanders Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 0.47% of AstraZeneca worth $1,015,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $89.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $276.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $89.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.20.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

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.