BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 466,716 shares of the company's stock after selling 49,269 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $30,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,681,303 shares of the company's stock valued at $306,436,000 after buying an additional 390,407 shares during the period. Alteri Wealth LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 220.8% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,027,511 shares of the company's stock worth $198,363,000 after acquiring an additional 2,083,645 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 143.4% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 3,736 shares during the period. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 469,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,771,000 after acquiring an additional 46,452 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.8%
Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $1.23 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $67.72. The stock had a trading volume of 4,719,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,147,622. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $210.02 billion, a PE ratio of 29.96, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $71.15 and its 200 day moving average is $69.61.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. One investment 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.
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AstraZeneca Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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