NWI Management LP Decreases Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

NWI Management LP lowered its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,000 shares during the quarter. NWI Management LP’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $4,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the third quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.9%

AZN opened at $169.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $263.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $145.79 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.80.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS 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.