Aurora Investment Counsel Takes $2.53 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Aurora Investment Counsel initiated a new position in AstraZeneca, buying 12,834 shares valued at about $2.53 million. The stake represents roughly 1.4% of Aurora’s portfolio and is its 16th largest holding.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with several other funds significantly increasing or starting positions in AstraZeneca. The article notes that hedge funds and institutional investors own about 20.35% of the stock.
• Analysts are mostly positive on AZN, with 13 Buy ratings, one Hold, and one Sell, giving the stock a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $211. AstraZeneca also recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates.

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 12,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,531,000. Astrazeneca makes up approximately 1.4% of Aurora Investment Counsel's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 546.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,667,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,315,026,000 after acquiring an additional 5,635,812 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 552.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,547,597 shares of the company's stock valued at $973,603,000 after acquiring an additional 4,697,895 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $675,263,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $473,782,000. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 32,441.5% during the first quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 2,445,171 shares of the company's stock worth $482,158,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,657 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE AZN opened at $168.81 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $261.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $182.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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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