BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Has $92.68 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S reduced its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 22.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 528,106 shares of the company’s stock after selling 149,488 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises about 0.8% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $92,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter worth about $25,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 2.3%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $186.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $288.57 billion, a PE ratio of 27.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $190.84 and a 200-day moving average of $184.91.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The company 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Astrazeneca

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.