Berman McAleer LLC Invests $664,000 in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Berman McAleer LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 8,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $664,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,440,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 305,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,370,000 after buying an additional 7,496 shares during the period. Finally, PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 5,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting AstraZeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting AstraZeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca agreed to license eight early-stage weight-management and diabetes programmes from CSPC, paying $1.2bn upfront with further milestone payments, gaining ex‑China rights and a clinical‑ready injectable that should enter trials soon — a quick way to add obesity pipeline exposure. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup initiated coverage of AZN with a Buy, which can increase investor demand and support the share price as the firm highlights upside in AstraZeneca’s growth story. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca set out a long‑term China plan, committing $15bn of investment through 2030 to expand manufacturing and R&D — this supports revenue potential in one of the fastest‑growing pharma markets and complements the CSPC tie‑up. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are reassessing AstraZeneca’s valuation after mixed recent moves; this coverage is informative but not an immediate catalyst unless analysts change targets. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data this month appears anomalous (showing 0 shares and NaN changes), suggesting no actionable signal from short‑interest metrics right now. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks: the deal’s headline values vary across reports (large potential milestone/partner payments reported in some outlets) and the obesity market is fiercely competitive (Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly). High contingent payments, execution risk on clinical programs, and intense competition could pressure returns if programmes underperform. Read More.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $92.77 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $92.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.28. The stock has a market cap of $287.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $96.51.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Ten 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 company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.