Westport Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Westport Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,422,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $165.09 on Thursday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $145.79 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $172.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.73. The firm has a market cap of $256.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.26.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.17 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.