Compass Ion Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Compass Ion Advisors LLC lessened its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,729 shares of the company’s stock after selling 634 shares during the quarter. Compass Ion Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth $29,000. RFP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 56.3% during 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 last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $78.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $242.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average of $81.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.28. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Citigroup raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. TD Cowen boosted 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.