Janus Henderson Group PLC Boosts Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Janus Henderson Group increased its AstraZeneca stake by 889.9% in the first quarter, acquiring 10.74 million additional shares. Its 11.95 million shares were valued at approximately $2.32 billion, representing 1.1% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership of AstraZeneca stands at 20.35%, with several other investment firms also increasing their positions.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $211. AstraZeneca reported quarterly EPS of $2.63, above estimates, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $15.38 billion.

Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 889.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,949,424 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises approximately 1.1% of Janus Henderson Group PLC's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.77% of Astrazeneca worth $2,319,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Pursuit Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $636,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 83,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,680,000 after purchasing an additional 12,255 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 31.9% during the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,573,000 after buying an additional 6,769 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 335,387 shares of the company's stock worth $30,832,000 after buying an additional 25,004 shares during the period. Finally, Cambiar Investors LLC boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC now owns 276,150 shares of the company's stock worth $25,386,000 after buying an additional 5,326 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AZN. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of AZN opened at $173.24 on Thursday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $145.79 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $268.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $179.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.89.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca 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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