Goelzer Investment Management Inc. Sells 236 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,706 shares of the company’s stock after selling 236 shares during the quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 7,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth approximately $182,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 38,185.0% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 53,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,180,000 after acquiring an additional 53,459 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 122.4% in the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 951 shares during the period. Finally, American Trust increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 27.9% during the second quarter. American Trust now owns 4,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on AZN. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $77.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,186,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,192,397. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $240.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.98, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $81.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.28. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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