Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Gray Foundation

Gray Foundation reduced its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,268 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,269 shares during the period. Astrazeneca accounts for about 0.9% of Gray Foundation’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Gray Foundation’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $3,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 552.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,547,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,603,000 after purchasing an additional 4,697,895 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth $675,263,000. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,841,000 after buying an additional 2,695,793 shares during the period. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 32,441.5% in the first quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 2,445,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $482,158,000 after buying an additional 2,437,657 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 65.3% during the fourth quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,154,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,080,160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,431,890 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AZN opened at $188.58 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $292.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $184.66 and a 200-day moving average of $187.16.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for 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%. Equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current 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.