Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Stock Sold by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP reduced its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,165,929 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113,340 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca comprises about 1.5% of Artemis Investment Management LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Artemis Investment Management LLP’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $189,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Veery Capital LLC boosted its stake in Astrazeneca by 3.9% in the third quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 1,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 3.8% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 51.8% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 258 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 5.5% in the second quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parrish Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.1% in the third quarter. Parrish Capital LLC now owns 9,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,581,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on AZN. HSBC downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE AZN traded down $2.09 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $158.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,276,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,790,168. The firm has a market cap of $245.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.27. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $153.41 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $162.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.32.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. Astrazeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company’s principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.