Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Cuts Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 63.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. 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 institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of AZN opened at $181.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.27, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $192.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.92. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $136.16 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

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.