S Harris Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 7,355 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

S Harris Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,291,000. Astrazeneca comprises 1.2% of S Harris Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EJMK Ventures LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $1,623,000. Bank of Hawaii raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Hawaii now owns 18,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,292,000 after buying an additional 1,196 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Arwa LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $784,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $174.87 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $186.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.27. The stock has a market cap of $271.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Company 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.