Swedbank AB Lowers Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Swedbank AB reduced its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 38.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,468,411 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,520,928 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned about 0.16% of Astrazeneca worth $486,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE AZN traded up $2.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $192.23. 478,793 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,478,874. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.38. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $298.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. On average, analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 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.