AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Holdings Cut by Checchi Capital Advisers LLC

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC decreased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,843 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,333 shares during the quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 447.4% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $85.31 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $85.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $78.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.58 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.36.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.505 dividend. This represents a yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

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.