Bank of Montreal Can Increases Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 109.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,071,333 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,605,758 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.10% of AstraZeneca worth $238,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 18,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 2,447 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 65.5% in the 1st quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 39,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,704,000 after purchasing an additional 15,794 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth $914,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 23,504 shares of the company's stock worth $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 6,224 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of AZN traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $66.36. 4,282,968 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,327,350. The company has a market cap of $205.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $60.47 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock's 50-day moving average is $72.94 and its 200-day moving average is $77.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share 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 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.