Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Stake Reduced by Martin Investment Management LLC

Martin Investment Management LLC lowered its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 309,507 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,352 shares during the period. Astrazeneca makes up approximately 14.2% of Martin Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Martin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $54,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $179.90 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $279.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.01, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $191.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.28. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on AZN shares. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Company 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.