Voya Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 68.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,899,502 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 770,417 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of AstraZeneca worth $145,730,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 376.0% in the second quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AZN. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN opened at $90.61 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $87.46 and its 200 day moving average is $79.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $281.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.10, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $94.01.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.08 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

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.