AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Holdings Lifted by Brookmont Capital Management

Brookmont Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 54.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,985 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,827 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca accounts for about 2.0% of Brookmont Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Brookmont Capital Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Martin Investment Management LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $754,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,510,000 after purchasing an additional 16,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 2,652,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,677,000 after purchasing an additional 201,233 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $66.60 on Tuesday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.46. The company has a market cap of $206.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

About AstraZeneca

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.