Gallacher Capital Management LLC Sells 4,050 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Gallacher Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,050 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Avion Wealth increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 166.2% during the 1st quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $169.08 on Friday. 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 Plc has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $182.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $188.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $262.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

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.