Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC Increases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,534 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 8.8% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 49,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,439,000 after acquiring an additional 3,968 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 61.1% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 112,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,894,000 after purchasing an additional 2,275 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 55,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,878,000 after purchasing an additional 4,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the first quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 19,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $84.58 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.55. The company has a market capitalization of $262.32 billion, a PE ratio of 31.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $86.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.08 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal 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.