Stephens Inc. AR Reduces Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 51.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,625 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,531 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,259,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $189.41 on Thursday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $293.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $184.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.61.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced 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 net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca 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.