AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Nwam LLC

Nwam LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 46.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,756 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,709 shares during the period. Nwam LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $708,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $426,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $3,328,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp raised its position in AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company's stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.47 on Friday, reaching $68.79. 2,991,789 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,285,935. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.78 and a 200 day moving average of $70.96. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $213.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.63, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.37.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 14.14%. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current 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.