255,467 Shares in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Bought by USS Investment Management Ltd

USS Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 255,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,634,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday. DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $189.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $294.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.48, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $184.15 and its 200 day moving average is $187.47.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.