AstraZeneca Plc $AZN Stock Position Increased by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,052,004 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,417 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $334,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Amundi raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,114,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036,635 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,947,000 after acquiring an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 208.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,417,000 after acquiring an additional 7,021,126 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,560,419,000 after acquiring an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 546.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,667,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,315,026,000 after acquiring an additional 5,635,812 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $184.46 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.21. The company has a market cap of $286.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.79. AstraZeneca Plc has a one year low of $153.41 and a one year high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 17.68% and a return on equity of 31.85%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.38 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AZN. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Nordea Equity Research raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. CICC Research initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Sunday, August 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $198.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.