Boston Common Asset Management LLC Increases Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 30.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,718 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,608 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,597 shares of the company's stock worth $1,311,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $4,532,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $111,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 45,726 shares of the company's stock worth $2,996,000 after purchasing an additional 1,212 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $1.95 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.82. 8,033,731 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,194,017. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.67. The firm has a market cap of $225.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.06 earnings per share. AstraZeneca's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on AZN. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.