AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC reduced its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 47.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,232 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,011 shares during the period. Astrazeneca makes up about 2.2% of AlphaCentric Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on AZN. HSBC downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen equities 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.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $168.81 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $137.23 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $182.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $188.44. The firm has a market cap of $261.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Company 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.