Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management lowered its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 52.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,656 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,599 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $8,215,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $182.98 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $185.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.69. The company has a market capitalization of $283.78 billion, a PE ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca 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.