Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Buys 52,372 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 286.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 70,680 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,372 shares during the quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 149.3% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 376.0% in the second quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.6%

AZN opened at $89.86 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $87.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.57. The firm has a market cap of $278.69 billion, a PE ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $94.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.08 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

About AstraZeneca

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.