Essex Financial Services Inc. Cuts Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Essex Financial Services Inc. lowered its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 48.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,122 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,879 shares during the quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday. DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $194.96 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $183.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $187.95. The company has a market capitalization of $302.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca 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.