Blue Trust Inc. Trims Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Blue Trust Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 21.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,103 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,890 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TD Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,595,000 after acquiring an additional 181,273 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 242,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,581,000 after purchasing an additional 15,065 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 31.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Capital Group California Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $406,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 1.4%

AZN stock opened at $185.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 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 stock has a market cap of $287.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.87, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $184.90 and its 200 day moving average is $186.80.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.