Capital Research Global Investors Sells 369,698 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Capital Research Global Investors reduced its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 47.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 415,561 shares of the company’s stock after selling 369,698 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $72,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $181.81 on Tuesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $281.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 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. The business has a fifty day moving average of $190.70 and a 200-day moving average of $185.53.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results 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. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal 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.