AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Position Boosted by Benson Investment Management Company Inc.

Benson Investment Management Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 75,297 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,815 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up 2.0% of Benson Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Benson Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 173.4% in the second quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376,032 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 14,797.3% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,322,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,306,000 after buying an additional 2,307,047 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,389.9% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,043,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,798,000 after acquiring an additional 1,961,764 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted 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 valued at $850,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 64.8% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,662 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $91.36 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $94.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current 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.