New Century Financial Group LLC Acquires 2,094 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

New Century Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,494 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,094 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $761,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 166.2% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 498,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,913,000 after purchasing an additional 311,550 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 338.0% during the second quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 264,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,618,000 after acquiring an additional 204,009 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at $518,000. Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $857,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 122.4% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.6 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $68.60 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $212.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $66.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.12 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average 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.