Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Seascape Capital Management

Seascape Capital Management reduced its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 24,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,251 shares during the period. Astrazeneca makes up about 1.4% of Seascape Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Seascape Capital Management’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $4,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $194.96 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.25. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $302.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

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.