Two Sigma Advisers LP Buys Shares of 86,100 AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 86,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,641,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AZN. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. One equities 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded up $1.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $72.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,980,643 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,168,822. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $69.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.83 billion, a PE ratio of 32.09, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

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