AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Two Sigma Investments LP

Two Sigma Investments LP trimmed its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 39.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 661,670 shares of the company's stock after selling 437,786 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $43,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 189.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after acquiring an additional 15,722,197 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $254,018,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $158,018,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 220.8% during the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,027,511 shares of the company's stock worth $198,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,083,645 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.3%

AstraZeneca stock opened at $69.92 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $216.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The company's 50-day moving average price is $70.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.

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