Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 481,980 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93,938 shares during the period. Astrazeneca makes up approximately 2.6% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $84,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allianz SE lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Allianz SE now owns 8,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,561,000 after buying an additional 1,484 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 10,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,839,000 after buying an additional 1,898 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 98,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,362,000 after buying an additional 4,648 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $399,000. Finally, Livet Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $651,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $178.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $189.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.90. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $277.28 billion, a PE ratio of 26.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Barclays reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

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.