Lazard Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 65.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,216,887 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 879,671 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises about 0.7% of Lazard Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $432,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $168.68 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $142.98 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $180.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.07. The company has a market cap of $261.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.