Groupe la Francaise Takes Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Groupe la Française acquired 984,608 AstraZeneca shares worth approximately $190.8 million during the first quarter, making the stock its eighth-largest holding and representing 2.6% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 20.35% of AstraZeneca, while analyst sentiment remains positive: 12 analysts rate the stock a Buy, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $211.
• AstraZeneca’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations on earnings, reporting EPS of $2.63 versus the $2.50 consensus estimate. However, the stock opened at $171.50, below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Groupe la Francaise acquired a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 984,608 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $190,802,000. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 2.6% of Groupe la Francaise's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Groupe la Francaise owned 0.06% of Astrazeneca at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,259,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC lowered Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.0%

AZN opened at $171.50 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $179.37 and a 200 day moving average of $187.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $145.79 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $265.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.

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