FORA Capital LLC Purchases New Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 33,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,580,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings 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. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.5 %

AZN stock traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.68. The company had a trading volume of 526,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,305,792. 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 PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $206.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.75, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $72.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. 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 research report on Monday, August 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Company 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.