AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,320 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,161 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 34,782,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,342,367,000 after buying an additional 164,183 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 39.0% during the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 14,684,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,972,000 after buying an additional 4,122,965 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,424,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $708,617,000 after buying an additional 889,178 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,404,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,361,000 after buying an additional 233,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Putnam Investments LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 7,729,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $520,604,000 after buying an additional 333,310 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $78.13. The company had a trading volume of 5,851,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,328,504. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $80.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.25 billion, a PE ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $78.52 and its 200 day moving average is $71.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $12.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.03 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.