Flputnam Investment Management Co. Increases Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 323,502 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,939 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $24,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Primecap Management Co. CA lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 41,200,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,879,062,000 after purchasing an additional 538,606 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.9% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after buying an additional 196,401 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.6% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,695,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,446,235,000 after buying an additional 530,520 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,255,000 after buying an additional 1,605,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,734,000 after acquiring an additional 104,625 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $91.36 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $87.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $283.35 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $94.01.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The firm had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.