Empirical Asset Management LLC Makes New $1.56 Million Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Empirical Asset Management LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 23,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,562,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Martin Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $754,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 13,860 shares during the period. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,510,000 after acquiring an additional 16,692 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.2% in the third quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 2,652,771 shares of the company's stock worth $206,677,000 after acquiring an additional 201,233 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AZN traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $66.60. 5,419,360 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,140,949. The firm has a market cap of $206.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $66.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company's quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target 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.