Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Acquires 1,790,874 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 11,190.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,806,877 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,790,874 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $317,107,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% during the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on AZN. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE AZN opened at $187.70 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $132.32 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $193.03 and a 200-day moving average of $181.67. The company has a market cap of $291.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.18, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 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.