Trium Capital LLP Takes Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Trium Capital LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 102,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,544,000. AstraZeneca comprises 0.9% of Trium Capital LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 189.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock worth $1,574,247,000 after buying an additional 15,722,197 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $254,018,000. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock worth $243,444,000 after buying an additional 3,670,719 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted 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 buying an additional 2,083,645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 815.8% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,073,630 shares of the company's stock worth $70,344,000 after buying an additional 1,223,630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.82. The company had a trading volume of 3,665,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,260,238. The company has a market capitalization of $219.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $70.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.71. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 14.14%. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

AstraZeneca 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.