AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 8.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 774,673 shares of the company's stock after selling 74,715 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $56,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock worth $2,457,706,000 after buying an additional 686,008 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 189.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after purchasing an additional 15,722,197 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,480,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,276,367,000 after purchasing an additional 357,894 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,186,692 shares of the company's stock worth $995,032,000 after buying an additional 212,301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,959,852 shares of the company's stock worth $718,090,000 after buying an additional 479,692 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.8%

AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $74.42. The stock had a trading volume of 3,131,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,202,775. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $69.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market cap of $230.80 billion, a PE ratio of 32.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.38.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.06 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.00.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.