Halpern Financial Inc. Sells 239 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Halpern Financial Inc. cut its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,588 shares of the company’s stock after selling 239 shares during the quarter. Halpern Financial Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $126,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Able Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $77.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,186,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,192,397. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $240.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.37. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.