Simplify Asset Management Inc. Increases Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Simplify Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 92.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,980 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,036 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 0.2% of Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $12,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after buying an additional 1,461,786 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,604,000 after buying an additional 466,745 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,517,000 after buying an additional 582,183 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,232,000 after buying an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,707,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,342,000 after buying an additional 660,569 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Barclays upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $187.24 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $290.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.11, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $191.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.08.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.