Park Avenue Securities LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 23.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,312 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,711 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,066,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.0% in the third quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 16,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,259,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 3,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $65.68 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $65.98 and its 200 day moving average is $74.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The business’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AZN. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.