iA Global Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 118,585 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,396 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $20,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $181.62 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $136.16 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.04. The company has a market capitalization of $281.67 billion, a PE ratio of 27.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.