Natixis Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,960,815 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 117,162 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of AstraZeneca worth $152,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 2.8 %

AZN opened at $63.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.25, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $75.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.20. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.