First Foundation Advisors Sells 8,036 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

First Foundation Advisors decreased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 123,927 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,036 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca accounts for approximately 0.8% of First Foundation Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. First Foundation Advisors’ holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $21,749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $184.52 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $286.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $132.32 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71.

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