AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 3,779.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 131,910 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 128,510 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $9,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Portfolio Design Labs LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $221,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $1,679,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 153.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 153,695 shares of the company's stock worth $10,125,000 after buying an additional 93,071 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 498,831 shares of the company's stock worth $32,683,000 after acquiring an additional 5,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.53 on Friday, reaching $72.88. The company had a trading volume of 2,453,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,183,207. 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. The firm has a market cap of $226.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $69.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.90.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.06 EPS. AstraZeneca's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.