Aurora Investment Counsel Takes $2.53 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 12,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,531,000. Astrazeneca comprises approximately 1.4% of Aurora Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Avion Wealth lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 166.2% during the first quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 197 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $168.81 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $182.16 and a 200-day moving average of $188.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $261.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on AZN. HSBC lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold 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 an average price target of $211.00.

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.