Janney Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN)

Janney Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 667,690 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,532 shares during the period. Astrazeneca PLC comprises about 1.1% of Janney Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Janney Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca PLC were worth $22,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its stake in Astrazeneca PLC by 67.0% in the first quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 3,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,422 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca PLC during the second quarter worth $105,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca PLC during the first quarter worth $107,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Astrazeneca PLC by 3,782.0% in the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 3,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Astrazeneca PLC by 157.1% in the first quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.30% of the company’s stock.

Shares of Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) opened at 29.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $73.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10 and a beta of 0.74. Astrazeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $25.55 and a 52 week high of $35.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.67 and a 200 day moving average of $31.48.

Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.46. The company had revenue of $5.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.04 billion. Astrazeneca PLC had a net margin of 17.80% and a return on equity of 35.90%. The firm’s revenue was down 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.83 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Astrazeneca PLC will post $1.86 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a None dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Investors of record on Friday, August 11th will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 9th. Astrazeneca PLC’s payout ratio is presently 44.92%.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. Piper Jaffray Companies reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. BidaskClub downgraded shares of Astrazeneca PLC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Cowen and Company reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Astrazeneca PLC from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Barclays PLC restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research report on Thursday, July 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.39.

About Astrazeneca PLC

AstraZeneca PLC (AstraZeneca) is a biopharmaceutical company. The Company focuses on discovery and development of products, which are then manufactured, marketed and sold. The Company focuses on three main therapy areas: Oncology, Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disease (CVMD) and Respiratory, while selectively pursuing therapies in Autoimmunity, Infection and Neuroscience.