Hantz Financial Services Inc. Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,189 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,104 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,647,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,003,124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,224,251 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 14,797.3% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,322,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,306,000 after purchasing an additional 2,307,047 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 406.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,020,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,517,000 after acquiring an additional 1,621,974 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 35.9% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,036,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,329,166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $82.34 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $86.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.10 and its 200 day moving average is $74.87. The stock has a market cap of $255.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The company had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca 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.