Capital Market Strategies LLC Has $241,000 Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Capital Market Strategies LLC lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,091 shares of the company’s stock after selling 269 shares during the period. Capital Market Strategies LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $241,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 468.4% during the 4th quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen boosted 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 2.1 %

AZN opened at $77.93 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.63 and a 200 day moving average of $77.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.69 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 company has a market cap of $241.63 billion, a PE ratio of 38.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released 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. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The company had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.04%.

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.