HM Payson & Co. Has $4.07 Million Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 895.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 55,333 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,772 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 447.4% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 416 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Finally, Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ AZN opened at $69.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.37. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $70.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.90. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 14.14%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.06 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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