Park National Corp OH Purchases 67,214 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Park National Corp. Ohio purchased 67,214 AstraZeneca shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $10.85 million. Institutional investors collectively own 20.35% of the company.
• AstraZeneca shares recently traded at $156.29, near their 52-week low of $153.41 and below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company has a market capitalization of approximately $242.4 billion.
• AstraZeneca exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.63 in EPS versus the $2.50 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $206.67.

Park National Corp OH purchased a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 67,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,853,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,537,684,000 after acquiring an additional 445,014 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 6.7% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,114,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,635 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 208.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company's stock worth $1,560,419,000 after buying an additional 8,047,406 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN traded down $0.61 on Monday, reaching $156.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 984,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,797,352. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $177.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $153.41 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $242.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.27.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. Astrazeneca's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Astrazeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. HSBC downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.67.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company's principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.

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