Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 531,194 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,289,057 shares of the company’s stock after selling 531,194 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $178,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 147,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,917,000 after buying an additional 24,233 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $356,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 31,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 6,279 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 186,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,570,000 after purchasing an additional 31,252 shares during the period. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $436,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $78.38 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $81.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.57. The firm has a market cap of $243.02 billion, a PE ratio of 38.42, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47.

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

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

AstraZeneca Company 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.