Simon Quick Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 42.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,969 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 328 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 6,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Prairie Sky Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 7,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 3,081 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $74.42 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $230.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38.

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

AstraZeneca Company 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.