Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by NWI Management LP

Key Points

• NWI Management LP cut its AstraZeneca holdings by 50% in the first quarter, selling 25,000 shares and retaining 25,000 shares valued at approximately $4.93 million.
• AstraZeneca reported quarterly EPS of $2.63, beating estimates of $2.50, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $15.38 billion, slightly below expectations.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $211, despite mixed ratings including recent downgrades and a $169.77 share price at the time of the report.

NWI Management LP decreased its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 50.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,000 shares during the quarter. NWI Management LP's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $4,930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $169.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $263.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $145.79 and a one year high of $212.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $179.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.17 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.00.

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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