CENTRAL TRUST Co Makes New Investment in AstraZeneca Plc $AZN

CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $912,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Amundi lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 146,574.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after acquiring an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,560,419,000 after buying an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 208.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,417,000 after acquiring an additional 7,021,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,202,714,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of AZN opened at $184.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $168.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.24. AstraZeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $153.41 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 31.85% and a net margin of 17.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Nordea Equity Research upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Deutsche Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.