AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 38.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,238 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,802 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock worth $2,457,706,000 after buying an additional 686,008 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in AstraZeneca by 189.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock worth $1,574,247,000 after acquiring an additional 15,722,197 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,480,569 shares of the company's stock worth $1,276,367,000 after acquiring an additional 357,894 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,011,037,000 after purchasing an additional 466,416 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,186,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $995,032,000 after purchasing an additional 212,301 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded down $1.23 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $67.72. 4,827,720 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,158,386. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company's 50 day moving average is $71.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.61. The company has a market cap of $210.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

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

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.