Columbus Macro LLC Sells 16,238 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Columbus Macro LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,934 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,238 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $3,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 552.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,547,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,603,000 after buying an additional 4,697,895 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 344.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,841,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695,793 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 65.3% during the 4th quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,154,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,080,160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,431,890 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 11,190.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,806,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790,874 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $185.61 on Friday. 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 Plc has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $186.80. The stock has a market cap of $287.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Company 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.