SEB Asset Management AB Makes New $1.16 Billion Investment in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

SEB Asset Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,954,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,157,593,000. Astrazeneca accounts for about 4.9% of SEB Asset Management AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $168.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $261.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $182.16 and a 200-day moving average of $188.43. 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 (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. HSBC downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.00.

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.