Davidson Investment Advisors Boosts Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Davidson Investment Advisors boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 234,231 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,456 shares during the period. Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $17,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 189.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after purchasing an additional 15,722,197 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $254,018,000. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 220.8% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,027,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,083,645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 815.8% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,073,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,630 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.18 during trading on Monday, reaching $69.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,441,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,261,088. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.78 and a 200 day moving average of $70.68. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.94 billion, a PE ratio of 27.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 33.14%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, BNP Paribas started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Company 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.