Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC Raises Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 91,651 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,350 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up about 1.1% of Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 18,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,422,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Sonoma Allocations LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $301,000. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 1,293,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,199,000 after buying an additional 6,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 12.1% in the third quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 25,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,964,000 after acquiring an additional 2,762 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $94.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $293.55 billion, a PE ratio of 31.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $90.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.97. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $96.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

About AstraZeneca

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.