AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.

McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. reduced its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,911 shares of the company’s stock after selling 321 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 30.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,647,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,003,124,000 after buying an additional 3,224,251 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 14,797.3% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,322,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,306,000 after buying an additional 2,307,047 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 406.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,020,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,621,974 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 35.9% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,036,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,712,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 650.1% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,234,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,761,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,223 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.6%

AZN opened at $84.53 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $86.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $79.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $262.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.78, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.36.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.505 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 200.0%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 37.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.