Astrazeneca Plc $AZN is ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s 3rd Largest Position

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. boosted its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 32,441.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,445,171 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,437,657 shares during the period. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 5.2% of ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. ABN AMRO Bank N.V.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $482,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,076,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Visionary Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Vista Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 21,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,723,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $188.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $184.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $292.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

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.