Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 63.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,375 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,777 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bangor Savings Bank grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% in the fourth quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $181.62 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $192.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.27, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $136.16 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

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. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.