AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Naviter Wealth LLC

Naviter Wealth LLC trimmed its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 69,580 shares of the company’s stock after selling 550 shares during the period. Naviter Wealth LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $276,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 6,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. American International Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 40,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,725,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $436,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 21.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $77.99. 377,262 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,071,330. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.26 and a 200-day moving average of $78.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.46.

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

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

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.