50,765 Shares in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Acquired by S&CO Inc.

S&CO Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 50,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,832,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 30,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.3%

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 stock has a market capitalization of $261.81 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $182.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.43.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced 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. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of several analyst reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

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.