Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Acquires 12,414 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 108,417 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,414 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. 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, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.9%

AstraZeneca stock opened at $84.06 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.58. The company has a market cap of $260.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.36. 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 PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $86.57.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09. The company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. Analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current 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.