Breakwater Capital Group Invests $429,000 in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Breakwater Capital Group purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3,779.7% in the 1st quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 131,910 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,695,000 after purchasing an additional 128,510 shares during the last quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 7.9% during the first quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,135 shares of the company's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $293,000. Finally, Channel Wealth LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 42,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,123,000 after buying an additional 2,318 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $72.88. 2,453,922 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,191,589. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $69.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.96. The firm has a market cap of $226.02 billion, a PE ratio of 32.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. 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 issued 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. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. AstraZeneca's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.06 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

AstraZeneca 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.