Capital Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,611 shares of the company’s stock after selling 236 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RFP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report 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, Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.2 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.32 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $81.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $239.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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