PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $25.29 Million Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 47.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 128,254 shares of the company’s stock after selling 117,223 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $25,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $168.68 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $261.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24. 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 Plc has a 1 year low of $142.98 and a 1 year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. As a group, research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

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.