AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Soros Fund Management LLC

Soros Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,652,771 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 201,233 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca comprises approximately 3.0% of Soros Fund Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Soros Fund Management LLC owned 0.09% of AstraZeneca worth $206,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $238,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,758 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 750.3% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,283,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132,362 shares during the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 65.1% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,409,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,934,000 after acquiring an additional 950,000 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,437,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,480,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $816,509,000 after acquiring an additional 524,175 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $67.53 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $71.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.17. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. 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 firm has a market cap of $209.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.45.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share 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.