MONECO Advisors LLC Purchases 2,856 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

MONECO Advisors LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 85.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,215 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,856 shares during the period. MONECO Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 376.0% during the second quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $193.40 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $122.48 and a 1 year high of $193.97. The firm has a market cap of $299.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.25, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $101.84 and a 200 day moving average of $88.53. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.