AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT lessened its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,612 shares of the company’s stock after selling 401 shares during the quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 147,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,917,000 after buying an additional 24,233 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $143,999,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $356,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 31,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 6,279 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $78.90 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $81.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $244.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.68, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47.

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. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Argus increased their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “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.