Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Buys 9,366 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 60.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 24,748 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,366 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,835,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 173.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376,032 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,389.9% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,043,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,798,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961,764 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,133 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 64.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,373,000 after buying an additional 1,487,662 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $96,936,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $193.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $299.94 billion, a PE ratio of 64.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $122.48 and a one year high of $193.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $101.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.64.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.08 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.