Profund Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,072 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,684 shares during the quarter. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $9,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 42.4% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 932,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,676,000 after purchasing an additional 277,765 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 965,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,401,000 after buying an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 56,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,886,000 after buying an additional 2,819 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $97,000. Finally, Cascade Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $386,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baxfendy (baxdrostat) won U.S. approval as the first aldosterone synthase inhibitor for adults with uncontrolled hypertension, giving AstraZeneca a first-in-class drug in a large market and raising expectations for meaningful future sales. Article: AstraZeneca’s blood pressure drug wins U.S. approval
• Positive Sentiment: Enhertu received FDA approval for two new HER2-positive early breast cancer settings, expanding the antibody-drug conjugate’s use and potentially boosting AstraZeneca’s oncology revenue through a broader patient population. Article: AZN, Daiichi’s Enhertu Gets FDA Nod for Two New Breast Cancer Settings
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted AstraZeneca’s broader pipeline momentum, reinforcing investor interest in the company’s growth story, but without adding new material information beyond the FDA wins. Article: AstraZeneca wins US approval for first-in-class blood pressure drug and expands cancer treatment Enhertu

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $183.97 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $285.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $192.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

About Astrazeneca

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.