Simplify Asset Management Inc. Sells 45,162 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Simplify Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZNFree Report) by 63.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,818 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,162 shares during the quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $5,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,601,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,791,051,000 after buying an additional 438,709 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,537,684,000 after buying an additional 445,014 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 13,878,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,435,716,000 after buying an additional 432,939 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 65.3% in the fourth quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,154,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,080,160,000 after buying an additional 2,431,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.1%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $194.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $302.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.27, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $183.96 and its 200 day moving average is $187.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZNGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 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 business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

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Astrazeneca Profile

(Free Report)

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)

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