TD Asset Management Inc Raises Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,112,841 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,229 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc owned approximately 0.07% of Astrazeneca worth $195,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,942,000 after buying an additional 11,398 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after buying an additional 7,289 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 310,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,813,000 after buying an additional 19,020 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 242,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,581,000 after buying an additional 15,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,100,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,142,000 after buying an additional 262,465 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $181.72 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $190.77 and its 200 day moving average is $184.71. The stock has a market cap of $281.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.25. 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 (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

About Astrazeneca

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.