AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 493,447 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $38,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 91.8% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 38,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,014,000 after purchasing an additional 18,512 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 3.2% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 255,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,914,000 after purchasing an additional 7,933 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 136.1% during the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 32,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,534,000 after purchasing an additional 18,751 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 53.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 158,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,335,000 after purchasing an additional 55,473 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $66.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $205.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.15.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.