Blue Trust Inc. Trims Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 21.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,103 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,890 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 1.4%

AZN opened at $185.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $287.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.87, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $184.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $186.80.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.