AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC reduced its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,346 shares of the company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $276,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 6,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. American International Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 40,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,725,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $436,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 21.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.6 %

AZN stock opened at $78.31 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.83, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $81.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.89.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen raised their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.