Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN – Free Report) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,207 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,820 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $15,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages have issued reports on AZN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings began coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.
Astrazeneca Stock Performance
AZN opened at $179.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $191.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $184.28. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $279.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.01, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.25.
Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. On average, analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.
About Astrazeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.
The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.
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