Natixis Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Natixis Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,053,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,879 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca accounts for about 0.5% of Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $360,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings started coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $179.90 on Tuesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $191.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $184.28. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $279.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.01, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

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.