NorthRock Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,192 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $4,026,000. Mmbg Investment Advisors CO. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 28.4% in the fourth quarter. Mmbg Investment Advisors CO. now owns 7,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650 shares during the last quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $14,742,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,044,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,937,000 after purchasing an additional 374,705 shares during the period. Finally, JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd now owns 16,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,051,000 after buying an additional 3,655 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.3%

AstraZeneca stock opened at $68.81 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $213.40 billion, a PE ratio of 30.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.06 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Profile

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.