QRG Capital Management Inc. Purchases 28,231 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.1% in Q4, purchasing 28,231 shares to hold 175,714 shares worth $16.153 million.
• AstraZeneca beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $2.58 versus $2.52 and revenue of $15.29 billion versus $14.93 billion, and analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $205.33 price target.
• The stock has a market capitalization of $284.24 billion, a P/E of 27.52, and a 52‑week range of $132.32 to $212.71.

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 175,714 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $16,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock worth $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock worth $3,259,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.8%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $183.27 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $132.32 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $196.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $180.36.

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

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays upgraded Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Company 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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