Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 58.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,779 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,917 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $8,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 546.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,667,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,315,026,000 after purchasing an additional 5,635,812 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 552.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,547,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,603,000 after buying an additional 4,697,895 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $675,263,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $473,782,000. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 32,441.5% in the 1st 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 period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $168.81 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $182.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.44. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market capitalization of $261.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 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 firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

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.