Janus Henderson Group PLC Raises Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,669,554 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 85,502 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.05% of AstraZeneca worth $130,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth about $327,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth about $309,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 23.0% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,789 shares of the company's stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 35.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,843 shares of the company's stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 3,094 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth about $234,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note 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. Finally, TD Cowen increased 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. Three research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $67.53. 5,270,071 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,305,602. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $209.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.31, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $71.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.17.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 30.01%. 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast 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.