Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd Invests $398.27 Million in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd bought a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,049,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $398,270,000. Astrazeneca comprises approximately 6.7% of Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Astrazeneca by 6.6% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 242,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,581,000 after acquiring an additional 15,065 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,100,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,142,000 after purchasing an additional 262,465 shares during the period. Guardian Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 83,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,373,000 after purchasing an additional 19,648 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $406,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 53.8% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 3,604 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $188.58 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 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $184.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.05. The company has a market capitalization of $292.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

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.