Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires Shares of 86,100 AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 86,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,641,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asio Capital LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after acquiring an additional 5,569 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $221,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $1,679,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 27,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,816,000 after purchasing an additional 7,686 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 153.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 153,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,125,000 after buying an additional 93,071 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $70.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on AZN. BNP Paribas started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.