Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Grows Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 149,605 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,159 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $11,655,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 168.0% in the 2nd quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 536 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $66.58. The stock had a trading volume of 6,538,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,600,142. The firm has a market cap of $206.44 billion, a PE ratio of 31.86, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average of $70.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.71. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

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.