Community Trust & Investment Co. Makes New $17.27 Million Investment in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Community Trust & Investment Co. initiated a $17.27 million position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter by purchasing 91,081 shares. Institutional investors now own 20.35% of the company.
• AstraZeneca reported quarterly EPS of $2.63, exceeding the $2.50 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $15.38 billion and increased 6.4% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with 12 Buy ratings, two Holds and one Sell; MarketBeat lists a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $211, versus the stock’s recent $161.28 price.

Community Trust & Investment Co. bought a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 91,081 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,271,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Amundi boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after buying an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company's stock worth $2,319,947,000 after buying an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after acquiring an additional 8,047,406 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after acquiring an additional 7,021,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,202,714,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of AZN opened at $161.28 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $176.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $250.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.11, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $145.79 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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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