Howard Financial Services LTD. Sells 610 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Howard Financial Services LTD. lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,240 shares of the company’s stock after selling 610 shares during the quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $296,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $557,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 28,053 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,062,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.4% in the first quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 4,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 0.7% during the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 23,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,743,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the first quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 8,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $79.56 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $246.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $75.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $82.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 target price on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.