Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Increases Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,368 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $65.04 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $201.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.12, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $75.79 and a 200 day moving average of $78.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.41%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.06 EPS for the current year.

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.