16,277 Shares in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Bought by Montecito Bank & Trust

Montecito Bank & Trust bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,277 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,249,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.5% in the first quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 5,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Martin Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 310,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,858,000 after buying an additional 2,510 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 16,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,197,000 after buying an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Finally, Norinchukin Bank The grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 177.5% in the 1st quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 15,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,148,000 after buying an additional 9,991 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $90.61 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $94.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $87.46 and a 200 day moving average of $79.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.32.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.89% and a net margin of 16.17%.The firm had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.08 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

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.