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

Strategic Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 23.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,524 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,050 shares during the quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 468.4% during the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1,614.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the period. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus increased 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. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $81.34. 1,679,915 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,335,866. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $78.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.66. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $82.01. The stock has a market cap of $252.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.89.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.04%.

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.