7,250 Shares of AstraZeneca Plc $AZN Purchased by CenterBook Partners LP

Key Points

• CenterBook Partners LP acquired 7,250 AstraZeneca shares in the third quarter, valued at approximately $1.17 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 20.35% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 16 analysts rate AZN a Buy and three a Hold, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $206.67.
• AstraZeneca beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $2.79 versus $2.60 expected and revenue of $16.21 billion; revenue rose 6.5% year over year.

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,171,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 52.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the company's stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 13.2% in the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,760 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,358,000 after purchasing an additional 6,043 shares during the period. Claro Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.2% in the third quarter. Claro Advisors Inc. now owns 1,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 108,364 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,536 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% in the third quarter. Wealth Dimensions Group Ltd. now owns 2,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research upgraded AstraZeneca from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Nordea Equity Research raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Sunday, August 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $198.00 price target for the company. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $189.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $293.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.24. AstraZeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $153.41 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.01.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.19. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 31.85% and a net margin of 17.68%. The firm had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.38 earnings per share. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries.

AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.

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