IFP Advisors Inc Raises Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 160.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,567 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,738 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AZN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.3%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $187.24 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $191.66 and a 200 day moving average of $182.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current year.

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.