AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Boston Common Asset Management LLC

Boston Common Asset Management LLC decreased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 62,965 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,263 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,906,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Sunpointe LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $204,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,364,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 518,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,950,000 after purchasing an additional 65,760 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $76.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.67. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 47.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Citigroup raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.