Geode Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Geode Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 486,246 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,227 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $85,336,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $420,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $877,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 4,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $812,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Banco de Sabadell S.A boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Banco de Sabadell S.A now owns 6,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,189,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares during the period. Finally, Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 335,558 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,890,000 after buying an additional 12,056 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:AZN opened at $186.06 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $137.23 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $288.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $190.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $185.34.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Company 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.