MQS Management LLC Has $207,000 Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

MQS Management LLC lessened its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 66.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,648 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,336 shares during the quarter. MQS Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 8,005 shares of the company’s stock valued at $542,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,347,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Sunpointe LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 3,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. Argus increased their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $78.38 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $81.80 and its 200-day moving average is $76.57. 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 PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $243.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a yield of 1.8%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 48.04%.

AstraZeneca 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.