Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Makes New Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 71,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in AstraZeneca by 22.7% during the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 987 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth approximately $211,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 106.5% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 533,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,594,000 after purchasing an additional 275,023 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 9.3% during the second quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 8,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $649,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.1% in the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 6,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 1,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN opened at $66.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.39 and a 200-day moving average of $76.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $207.55 billion, a PE ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.45.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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 given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.