Swiss National Bank bought a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN – Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 6,174,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,202,714,000. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 0.7% of Swiss National Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Swiss National Bank owned 0.40% of Astrazeneca as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 2.1% in 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. grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,537,684,000 after acquiring an additional 445,014 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 13,878,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,435,716,000 after acquiring an additional 432,939 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 546.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,667,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,315,026,000 after acquiring an additional 5,635,812 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 65.3% in the 4th quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,154,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,080,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,431,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. Bank of America reaffirmed 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 research report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.
Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.3%
Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $168.81 on Friday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.43. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $261.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.24.
Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN – Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
About Astrazeneca
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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