Chicago Capital LLC Has $452,000 Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Chicago Capital LLC reduced its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,806 shares of the company’s stock after selling 723 shares during the quarter. Chicago Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. RFP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 40.6% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $78.26 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $242.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $81.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.28. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a yield of 1.8%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About AstraZeneca

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.