Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management boosted its AstraZeneca stake by 225.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 187,971 additional shares and bringing its total to 271,358 shares worth about $47.6 million.
• Institutional interest in AstraZeneca remains strong overall, with several large investors also raising holdings; the article notes that about 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Analysts are generally upbeat on the stock, with 12 Buy ratings versus one Sell and a consensus target price of $205.33. AstraZeneca also recently reported quarterly EPS and revenue that both beat estimates.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 225.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 271,358 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 187,971 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $47,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,841,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695,793 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company's stock worth $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 11,190.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,806,877 shares of the company's stock worth $317,107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,790,874 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 64.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461,786 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy (b)" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $183.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $285.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $137.23 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $192.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $182.29.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. On average, analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baxfendy (baxdrostat) won U.S. approval as the first aldosterone synthase inhibitor for adults with uncontrolled hypertension, giving AstraZeneca a first-in-class drug in a large market and raising expectations for meaningful future sales. Article: AstraZeneca's blood pressure drug wins U.S. approval
• Positive Sentiment: Enhertu received FDA approval for two new HER2-positive early breast cancer settings, expanding the antibody-drug conjugate’s use and potentially boosting AstraZeneca’s oncology revenue through a broader patient population. Article: AZN, Daiichi's Enhertu Gets FDA Nod for Two New Breast Cancer Settings
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted AstraZeneca’s broader pipeline momentum, reinforcing investor interest in the company’s growth story, but without adding new material information beyond the FDA wins. Article: AstraZeneca wins US approval for first-in-class blood pressure drug and expands cancer treatment Enhertu

About Astrazeneca

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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