5 Best UK Stocks To Invest In Now

2. AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ: AZN) is up next on our list of the best UK stocks to buy now. It is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom and develops a range of pharmaceutical products used around the globe. The firm is also the manufacturer of one of the most well-known Covid-19 vaccines available for use around the world, and boasts an impressive pipeline of approved or under-trial drugs that bode very well for its future prospects.

Morgan Stanley analyst Mark Purcell on April 21 raised the firm’s price target on AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) to £11,100 from £10,200 and maintained an Overweight rating on the company shares. As of May 4, shares of the firm have jumped 24.49% in the last 12 months and 12.97% in the year to date.

42 hedge funds reported holding stakes in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) at the end of the fourth quarter, up from 41 hedge funds a quarter ago. The largest Q4 2021 stakeholder in the biopharmaceutical firm was Fisher Asset Management with a $1.17 billion stake consisting of more than 20 million shares.