2,438,551 Shares in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Purchased by Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,438,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $473,782,000. Astrazeneca accounts for 2.5% of Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AZN. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $190.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.