Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Stock Position Decreased by Bridgewater Advisors Inc.

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 57.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,615 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,355 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.2%

AZN opened at $168.68 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $180.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $188.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $261.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $142.98 and a 12 month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.