Swedbank AB Has $700.13 Million Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Swedbank AB trimmed its AstraZeneca stake 8.6% in Q4 to 3,989,339 shares (about $700.13 million), representing 0.26% of AZN and the firm's 27th-largest holding.
• AstraZeneca has a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" (12 Buys, 1 Sell) with a consensus price target of $205.33.
• In the latest quarter AZN reported a $2.58 EPS (beat by $0.06) and $15.29 billion in revenue (also above expectations); the stock trades near $181.36 with a market cap around $281.3 billion.

Swedbank AB lessened its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,989,339 shares of the company's stock after selling 375,119 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 0.7% of Swedbank AB's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Swedbank AB owned 0.26% of Astrazeneca worth $700,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 11,398 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in Astrazeneca by 20.0% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company's stock worth $83,595,000 after buying an additional 181,273 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in Astrazeneca by 111.6% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company's stock worth $5,113,000 after buying an additional 35,148 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank increased its position in Astrazeneca by 20.4% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company's stock worth $3,298,000 after buying an additional 7,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 96.2% during the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company's stock worth $5,953,000 after buying an additional 38,043 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Barclays raised Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy (b)" rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of AZN opened at $181.36 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.23, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $195.55 and a 200-day moving average of $180.54.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 73.43%.

Astrazeneca 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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