Ethic Inc. Buys 6,475 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Ethic Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 97,608 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,475 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $6,395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $754,000. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,630 shares of the company's stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 13,937 shares of the company's stock worth $913,000 after purchasing an additional 4,608 shares during the period. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 60.7% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 22,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 8,514 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded up $1.46 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $67.69. The stock had a trading volume of 4,397,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,161,999. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $70.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.57. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $209.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.95, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.71 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.06 EPS. AstraZeneca's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

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.