Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Increases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 23.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 261,743 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,252 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $17,629,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 113.0% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 95,677 shares of the company's stock worth $6,444,000 after buying an additional 50,750 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 51.8% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 14,424 shares of the company's stock worth $977,000 after purchasing an additional 4,919 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 317.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,242,431 shares of the company's stock worth $84,136,000 after acquiring an additional 944,765 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 43.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 163,011 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,979,000 after purchasing an additional 49,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $2,241,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $76.90. The stock had a trading volume of 2,791,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,131,336. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $77.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.42 billion, a PE ratio of 37.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $12.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.