AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Boosted by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 17.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,745,531 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 564,297 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for 2.8% of Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC owned about 0.12% of AstraZeneca worth $245,407,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Martin Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company's stock worth $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 13,860 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.99 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $71.24. The stock had a trading volume of 4,661,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,868,603. The company has a market cap of $220.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.09, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.46. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $66.83 and its 200-day moving average is $73.99. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted 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 during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

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.