Simplicity Wealth LLC Boosts Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 69.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,527 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 34.4% during the first quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 781 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AZN shares. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.1%

AstraZeneca stock opened at $73.74 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $228.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.63, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.15.

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

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.