Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 3,186 Shares of AstraZeneca Plc $AZN

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,615 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,186 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $6,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Amundi grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,114,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036,635 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 889.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 208.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% in the 1st quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 546.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,667,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,315,026,000 after purchasing an additional 5,635,812 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE AZN opened at $184.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $286.08 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $168.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.21. AstraZeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $153.41 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 17.68% and a return on equity of 31.85%. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $198.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 31st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded AstraZeneca from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.67.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.