LPL Financial LLC Acquires 84,348 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,152,872 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,348 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Astrazeneca worth $202,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 30,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE:AZN opened at $183.36 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $284.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $190.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

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.