By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN – Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,831,357 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 125,600 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $185,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 112.4% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after buying an additional 7,241 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 39.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 206,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,104,000 after acquiring an additional 58,039 shares during the period. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 18.3% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 208,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,227,000 after acquiring an additional 32,132 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 49,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,867,000 after purchasing an additional 5,779 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
AstraZeneca Price Performance
Shares of AZN traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.28. 488,226 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,696,262. 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 PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $217.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.02.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.
Read Our Latest Analysis on AZN
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.
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