Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Increases Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 24.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,399 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,359 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $84.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $86.57. The company has a market cap of $262.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.08 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share 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.