Astrazeneca Plc $AZN is Foresight Global Investors Inc.’s Largest Position

Foresight Global Investors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 290,672 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 47,495 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca comprises 24.0% of Foresight Global Investors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Foresight Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $51,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 335 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $178.79 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $189.26 and its 200 day moving average is $185.90. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $277.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday. Barclays reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.