AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Professional Advisory Services Inc.

Professional Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 20.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 332,945 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,417 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up approximately 3.0% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Professional Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $21,815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $66.60. 5,419,360 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,140,949. The stock has a market cap of $206.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $66.11 and a 200-day moving average of $74.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject 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 upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price 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.