ProShare Advisors LLC Raises Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 688,182 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 107,722 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $45,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7%

AZN traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.41. 2,209,593 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,178,751. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca 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.