Hardy Reed LLC Increases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Hardy Reed LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,182 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 19.1% in the second quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.8% during the second quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 40.6% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $66.36 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $72.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.65. The company has a market cap of $205.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, TD Cowen increased 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.