Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Compound Planning Inc.

Compound Planning Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 56.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,570 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,013 shares during the quarter. Compound Planning Inc.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $3,662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Common Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 83,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,669,000 after purchasing an additional 14,576 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 223.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 29,888 shares of the company's stock worth $2,752,000 after buying an additional 20,635 shares during the period. Pursuit Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $636,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 83,539 shares of the company's stock worth $7,680,000 after buying an additional 12,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $925,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC cut shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $168.68 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $142.98 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $261.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $180.55 and a 200-day moving average of $187.97.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Equities analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS 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.

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