Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 83.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 137,132 shares of the company’s stock after selling 689,962 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $27,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew 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 purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.2%

AZN opened at $168.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $261.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.33, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $180.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $188.02. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $142.98 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

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.