Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.54 Billion Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 445,014 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises approximately 0.9% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 1.30% of Astrazeneca worth $3,537,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 11,398 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,595,000 after purchasing an additional 181,273 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 310,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,813,000 after purchasing an additional 19,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.6% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 242,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,581,000 after purchasing an additional 15,065 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $186.06 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $288.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $190.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $185.34. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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.