Capital International Inc. CA Raises Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Capital International Inc. CA grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 17.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 238,030 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares during the quarter. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $16,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 468.4% in the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $78.13. The company had a trading volume of 5,878,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,328,704. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $80.86. The company’s fifty day moving average is $78.54 and its 200-day moving average is $71.92. The company has a market capitalization of $242.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.45.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $12.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.92 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

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.