Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Grows Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 242.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 957,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 677,700 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises 0.6% of Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $186,144,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Avion Wealth lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 166.2% in the first quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $168.41 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $142.98 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $261.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on AZN. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.