AR Asset Management Inc. Sells 4,000 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

AR Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the period. AR Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $169.52 on Thursday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $142.98 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $181.13 and a 200 day moving average of $188.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $262.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

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.