iA Global Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 114,189 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,616 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $8,761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 20.1% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,440,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $92.95 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.50. The firm has a market cap of $288.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $96.51.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.08 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.