AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Holdings Decreased by Optas LLC

Optas LLC decreased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 14.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,348 shares of the company’s stock after selling 738 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 237.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 123,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,331,000 after purchasing an additional 86,610 shares during the last quarter. PEAK6 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $474,000. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 9,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,430 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 238,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,177,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 100.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 8,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 4,193 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Argus increased their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $77.99. 3,664,470 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,364,924. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $241.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $80.86. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.40.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $12.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.92 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. Equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca 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.