Simplify Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Simplify Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 92.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 70,980 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,036 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca makes up approximately 0.2% of Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $12,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.1%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $187.24 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $137.23 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $290.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.11, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.08.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on AZN. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

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.