Versant Capital Management Inc Boosts Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 1,166.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,296 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,562 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 189.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after acquiring an additional 15,722,197 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,018,000. Boston Partners raised its position in AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock worth $243,444,000 after acquiring an additional 3,670,719 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $158,018,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 220.8% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,027,511 shares of the company's stock worth $198,363,000 after buying an additional 2,083,645 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.4%

AZN traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $72.23. 1,636,126 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,187,058. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $69.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.80. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38.

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

AstraZeneca Company 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.