Toronto Dominion Bank Grows Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 51.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,080 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,151 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.55 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $70.41. 2,988,557 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,703,531. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.18, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $69.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.57.

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

AstraZeneca Profile

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.