Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Bought by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management increased its AstraZeneca stake by 2.5% in the second quarter, buying 160,339 additional shares for a total holding of 6.69 million shares valued at approximately $1.25 billion.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 20.35% of AstraZeneca. Several major investors, including Amundi, Janus Henderson, Rathbones, and Royal Bank of Canada, also expanded their positions.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a $206.67 target price. AstraZeneca recently exceeded quarterly EPS estimates, although revenue fell slightly short of expectations.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,690,300 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 160,339 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises approximately 0.7% of Allianz Asset Management GmbH's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned 0.43% of Astrazeneca worth $1,252,044,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after acquiring an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company's stock worth $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% during the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company's stock worth $1,560,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company's stock worth $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $1,202,714,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Barclays reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $162.62 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $168.65 and its 200-day moving average is $183.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $252.21 billion, a PE ratio of 24.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $145.79 and a 12-month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.

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