3,769 AstraZeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.

Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,405 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,769 shares during the period. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $9,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:AZN opened at $170.04 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $153.41 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $180.39. The company has a market capitalization of $263.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.42 and a beta of 0.27.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Sunday, August 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $198.00 price objective for the company. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.