Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Buys Shares of 169,590 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 169,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,982,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $164.55 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $255.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $183.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. 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.com, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Key Stories Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Negative Sentiment: AstraZeneca is facing investor-law-firm investigations after the Wainua trial miss and the related stock drop, adding headline risk and potential litigation over alleged securities claims. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC downgraded AstraZeneca and lowered its price target after the Wainua setback, saying the failure removes a central support for the company’s bullish outlook and leaves a tougher catalyst path ahead. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A second investor alert from Levi & Korsinsky highlighted the Wainua phase 3 miss and encouraged shareholders to seek recovery of losses, reinforcing the negative sentiment around the trial failure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS remained constructive ahead of AstraZeneca’s second-quarter results, saying it expects solid earnings but limited room for full-year guidance increases. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca also announced an exclusive global licensing deal for a lung-cancer pill from China’s Dizal Pharmaceutical, paying $600 million upfront with up to $900 million in milestones. The deal could strengthen its oncology pipeline and supports longer-term growth. Article Title

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.