S&CO Inc. Takes Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

S&CO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 37,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,101,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ballast Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $270,000. Investors Research Corp purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the second quarter worth $122,000. Spinnaker Investment Group LLC grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 3.8% in the second quarter. Spinnaker Investment Group LLC now owns 2,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 13.7% in the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 8,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,573,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the second quarter worth $2,296,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $156.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $242.53 billion, a PE ratio of 23.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $174.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $186.29. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $145.79 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. Astrazeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Astrazeneca

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.