Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. Cuts Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lessened its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,880 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,872 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 1.4%

AZN stock opened at $192.77 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $184.08 and its 200 day moving average is $188.53. The company has a market capitalization of $298.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.24. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 10.28 EPS for the current year.

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.