Global Retirement Partners LLC Acquires 575 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,945 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 575 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1,614.8% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AZN. Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $78.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $81.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $12.45 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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