AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Increased by Thornburg Investment Management Inc.

Thornburg Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 505,522 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,496 shares during the quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $33,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in AstraZeneca by 51.0% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 27,080 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 9,151 shares during the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 43.4% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 288,071 shares of the company's stock worth $18,874,000 after purchasing an additional 87,214 shares during the last quarter. Sphera Funds Management LTD. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 18.4% in the 4th quarter. Sphera Funds Management LTD. now owns 225,060 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,746,000 after buying an additional 35,000 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 31.3% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 196,657 shares of the company's stock worth $12,885,000 after acquiring an additional 46,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 815.8% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,073,630 shares of the company's stock worth $70,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.5%

AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.37 during trading on Friday, hitting $70.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,927,665 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,163,962. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The stock's fifty day moving average is $69.91 and its 200 day moving average is $69.42.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.00.

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.