Astrazeneca Plc $AZN is DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s 10th Largest Position

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 4,529.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,783,927 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,702,185 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca makes up about 1.2% of DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $747,099,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. HSBC downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $168.81 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $182.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $188.44. The company has a market cap of $261.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Company 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.