AstraZeneca Plc $AZN Stock Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 203,221 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,750 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up approximately 1.0% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $32,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 146,574.4% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,034,456,000 after buying an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 889.9% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after buying an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after buying an additional 8,047,406 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after buying an additional 7,021,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at about $1,202,714,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on AZN shares. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Nordea Equity Research upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE AZN traded up $0.28 on Friday, hitting $184.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,849,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,101,796. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. AstraZeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $153.41 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company’s 50-day moving average is $168.82 and its 200 day moving average is $180.20. The firm has a market cap of $286.40 billion, a PE ratio of 26.12, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.24.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.19. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 17.68% and a return on equity of 31.85%. The company had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.