Willner & Heller LLC Makes New Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Willner & Heller LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $314,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 237.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 123,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,331,000 after acquiring an additional 86,610 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 496,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,656,000 after purchasing an additional 2,426 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 31.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 5,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 75,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,102,000 after buying an additional 4,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 5,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $79.59. The stock had a trading volume of 2,055,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,761,780. 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 has a 50 day simple moving average of $75.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.40. The firm has a market cap of $246.77 billion, a PE ratio of 39.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.48.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $11.92 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.04 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Argus raised their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca 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.