Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $12.89 Million Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 31.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 196,657 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 46,918 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $12,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 815.8% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,073,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,630 shares in the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,763,000. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 688,182 shares of the company's stock worth $45,090,000 after acquiring an additional 107,722 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 370,229 shares of the company's stock worth $24,259,000 after acquiring an additional 22,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkwood LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 62.6% in the fourth quarter. Parkwood LLC now owns 118,199 shares of the company's stock worth $7,744,000 after acquiring an additional 45,514 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $69.92. The stock had a trading volume of 4,295,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,190,337. The company's fifty day moving average is $70.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.43. 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 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

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. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.