AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 32.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,759 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,105 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 3,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 0.7% during the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 23,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Grimes & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.0% in the second quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 5,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Global Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Eagle Global Advisors LLC now owns 53,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,741,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $91.00 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $91.91. The company has a market cap of $282.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.84.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

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.