Smith Salley Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Smith Salley Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,158 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 13.0% in the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 6,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.0% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 191,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,939,000 after buying an additional 5,589 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 7,690.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 22,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 21,842 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 174.9% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 12,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $994,000 after acquiring an additional 8,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 66.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 297,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,098,000 after acquiring an additional 118,359 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $75.05 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $80.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $232.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.79, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their price target on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.