Principal Securities Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,053 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $708,000 after buying an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $426,000. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 42.5% during the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 2,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,847 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, BNP Paribas started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $70.82 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.72 and a 200 day moving average of $70.71. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $219.64 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 14.14%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

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.