MML Investors Services LLC Raises Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 255,605 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,933 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $19,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. XTX Topco Ltd boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 136.1% in the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 32,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,534,000 after buying an additional 18,751 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 53.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 158,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,335,000 after purchasing an additional 55,473 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 146.9% during the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 141,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,004,000 after purchasing an additional 84,036 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 3,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.2% in the 3rd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after buying an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $68.58 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $212.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $71.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.08. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

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.