Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN – Free Report) by 30.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,390 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,161 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 468.4% in the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 1,614.8% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Argus raised their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.00.
AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.7 %
Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $80.62. 4,943,419 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,368,101. The stock has a market capitalization of $249.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $78.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $82.01.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend
The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 94.61%.
AstraZeneca Company 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.