55,010 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Generate Investment Management Ltd

Generate Investment Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 93.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,828 shares of the company’s stock after selling 55,010 shares during the period. Generate Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,114,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,635 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 889.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,560,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.5% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 6,690,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,252,044,000 after purchasing an additional 160,339 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 4.0%

Shares of AZN stock traded up $6.30 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $162.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,396,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,792,894. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $153.41 and a one year high of $212.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.27. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.56.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. HSBC cut shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

About Astrazeneca

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.