Flputnam Investment Management Co. Boosts Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 335,558 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,056 shares during the period. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 0.9% of Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $58,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 344.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,841,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695,793 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 11,190.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,806,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,790,874 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 64.8% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after buying an additional 1,461,786 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $187.10 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $290.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.26. The business’s fifty day moving average is $191.50 and its 200 day moving average is $183.36.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Barclays upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca 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.