Capital International Inc. CA Cuts Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Capital International Inc. CA reduced its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 52.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 213,141 shares of the company’s stock after selling 235,597 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $37,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth 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 last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the first 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 last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 30,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $186.06 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71. 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 cap of $288.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.94, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $190.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $185.12.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

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.