Marshall Wace LLP Buys 623,902 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 45.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,999,931 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 623,902 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.06% of AstraZeneca worth $139,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 376.0% in the second quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.67.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $90.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $279.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.91, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $94.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.25.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.08 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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.