AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Sphera Funds Management LTD.

Sphera Funds Management LTD. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 225,060 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,000 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up about 2.7% of Sphera Funds Management LTD.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Sphera Funds Management LTD.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $14,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341 shares during the period. Asio Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares during the period. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 730,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,875,000 after purchasing an additional 74,529 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $67.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $210.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.07, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.57 and a 200 day moving average of $69.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $88.00.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.