RNC Capital Management LLC Acquires 18,207 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

RNC Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 46.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 57,676 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,207 shares during the period. RNC Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,758 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at $72,437,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,407,000 after purchasing an additional 564,297 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,480,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $816,509,000 after purchasing an additional 524,175 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $72.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $224.39 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.70. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. Research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “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.