Huntington National Bank Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,899 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,083,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 61,271,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,151,177,000 after acquiring an additional 9,002,450 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,365,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $634,525,000 after purchasing an additional 29,497 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 16.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,417,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,565,000 after purchasing an additional 488,644 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,403,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,458,000 after buying an additional 186,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 2,990,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $202,588,000 after buying an additional 134,784 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $63.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.25, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $75.03 and a 200-day moving average of $78.20. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.