Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 49,214 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,968 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $88.61 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $274.82 billion, a PE ratio of 33.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $89.43.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The firm had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.08 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.00.

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.