6,304 AstraZeneca Plc $AZN Shares Bought by R Squared Ltd

R Squared Ltd grew its holdings in AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 317.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,291 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,304 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for approximately 0.7% of R Squared Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Amundi grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 6.7% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,114,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,635 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 889.9% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,947,000 after buying an additional 10,742,268 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 208.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,417,000 after buying an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% during the 1st quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,560,419,000 after buying an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 6,690,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,252,044,000 after buying an additional 160,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.6%

AZN opened at $184.46 on Friday. AstraZeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $153.41 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $286.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $168.42 and a 200-day moving average of $180.21.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 17.68% and a return on equity of 31.85%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on AZN. CICC Research began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $198.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Zacks Research raised AstraZeneca from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Nordea Equity Research raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.