AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,622 shares of the company’s stock after selling 825 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 9.7% in the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 106,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,326,000 after purchasing an additional 9,431 shares in the last quarter. Essex Savings Bank increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 7.0% in the third quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 5,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 227,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,703,000 after buying an additional 12,705 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $63.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $196.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $75.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.20.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “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.