A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. Invests $876,000 in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 13,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $876,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company's stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $518,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 16,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,259,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN traded up $0.43 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.01. 5,671,171 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,304,024. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company's 50-day moving average is $66.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $207.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

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.