SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stake in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 123.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,321 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,705 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Maseco LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.6%

AstraZeneca stock opened at $91.52 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $91.90. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $83.27 and a 200 day moving average of $77.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $283.84 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The business had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

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.