122,586 Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Acquired by GF Fund Management CO. LTD.

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 122,586 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,032,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $70.96. The stock had a trading volume of 4,459,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,181,264. The company's 50-day moving average price is $69.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.56. The company has a market capitalization of $220.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.