Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 9,900 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 972,748 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,900 shares during the period. Astrazeneca accounts for 1.4% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.06% of Astrazeneca worth $170,717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 11,398 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,595,000 after purchasing an additional 181,273 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 6.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 310,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,813,000 after purchasing an additional 19,020 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 6.6% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 242,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,581,000 after purchasing an additional 15,065 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AZN opened at $186.06 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $190.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.34. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week 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 stock has a market cap of $288.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.94, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.