S Harris Financial Group LLC Invests $1.29 Million in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

S Harris Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 7,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,291,000. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 1.2% of S Harris Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $174.87 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $186.62 and its 200-day moving average is $186.27. 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 Plc has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $271.20 billion, a PE ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released 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 firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca 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.