Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Purchases Shares of 2,438,551 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,438,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $473,782,000. Astrazeneca comprises 2.5% of Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ owned about 0.16% of Astrazeneca as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,076,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors increased its position in Astrazeneca by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Vista Investment Management lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 21,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,723,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $190.93 on Tuesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $184.38 and its 200-day moving average is $187.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.