Simplify Asset Management Inc. Has $5.09 Million Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Simplify Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 63.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund 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 reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,100,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,142,000 after purchasing an additional 262,465 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Capital LP boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 31.0% in the third quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 83,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,373,000 after buying an additional 19,648 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $406,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 53.8% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,307 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 3,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integral Health Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 50.0% during the third quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC now owns 300,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,016,000 after buying an additional 100,000 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $194.96 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $183.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.95. The stock has a market cap of $302.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week 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.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 EPS for the current year.

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.