Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Buys 13,375 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 26.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 64,620 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,375 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during 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. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 144.0% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

More AstraZeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting AstraZeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca announced a $15 billion investment plan in China through 2030 to expand manufacturing and R&D, signaling a major commitment to China growth and capacity that could boost long‑term sales and local partnerships. AstraZeneca sets out $15 billion China investment during Starmer visit
• Positive Sentiment: China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical signed a deal with AstraZeneca to develop long‑acting peptide medicines for obesity/weight‑related conditions — strengthens AZN’s obesity pipeline and a China commercialization route. China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical inks deal with AstraZeneca for weight loss therapy
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup initiated coverage of AZN with a Buy recommendation — an analyst catalyst that can support demand for the ADR among institutional investors. Citigroup initiates coverage of AstraZeneca PLC – depositary receipt (AZN) with buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America Securities also initiated a Buy rating on AZN, adding further sell‑side support. Bank of America Securities Initiates a Buy Rating on AstraZeneca (AZN)
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca expanded academic collaboration with the University of Virginia to accelerate pre‑clinical innovation, supporting pipeline discovery and future R&D productivity. University of Virginia Signs Master Research Collaboration Agreement with AstraZeneca to Accelerate Pre-Clinical Innovation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces are reassessing AZN valuation after mixed recent share performance — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Assessing AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN) Valuation After Mixed Recent Share Price Performance
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of PM Keir Starmer’s China trip notes AstraZeneca as part of the UK delegation — political/diplomatic context that underpinned the China investment announcement. Airbus, AstraZeneca and HSBC executives join UK’s Starmer on high-stakes China trip
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data for January appears inconsistent/insignificant (zeros/NaN) and doesn’t provide a clear signal about bearish positioning at this time.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Citigroup began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $92.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $96.51. The firm has a market cap of $287.20 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.14.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 32.89% and a net margin of 16.17%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.08 earnings per share. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.