Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Buys 1,272 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,601 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $66.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $205.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $72.94 and a 200-day moving average of $77.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Profile

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.