QRG Capital Management Inc. Has $19.19 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 44.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 97,737 shares of the company’s stock after selling 77,977 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $19,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,100,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,142,000 after buying an additional 262,465 shares during the period. Guardian Capital LP increased its position in Astrazeneca by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Capital LP now owns 83,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,373,000 after acquiring an additional 19,648 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at $406,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 53.8% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 3,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integral Health Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 50.0% during the third quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC now owns 300,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,016,000 after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $194.96 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $183.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $302.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Equities analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.