Palladiem LLC Invests $495,000 in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,000. Astrazeneca makes up about 0.5% of Palladiem LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $609,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $186.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $288.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $190.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.12. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

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.