Capital International Investors Sells 10,531,442 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Capital International Investors cut its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 42.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,521,078 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,531,442 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors owned approximately 0.94% of Astrazeneca worth $2,548,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% during the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $186.06 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $190.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.12. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $288.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Profile

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.