PFG Advisors Invests $339,000 in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

PFG Advisors acquired a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 115.4% in the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 6.9% during the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.7% during the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 135,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,949,000 after buying an additional 2,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp raised its position in AstraZeneca by 10.1% in the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 4,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $87.68 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.95. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $89.32. The stock has a market cap of $271.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released 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 firm had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

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.