MML Investors Services LLC Raises Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 305,636 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,338 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $53,639,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of AZN opened at $177.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $275.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.63, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.25. 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 fifty-two week low of $137.23 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $188.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $186.10.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca 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.