Altfest L J & Co. Inc. Grows Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Key Points

• Altfest L J & Co. Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC by 16.9% during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 24,347 shares valued at approximately $1.79 million.
• AstraZeneca's recent quarterly earnings met expectations, reporting $1.09 earnings per share and $14.46 billion in revenue, reflecting a 16.1% year-over-year growth.
• The firm has announced a $0.505 semi-annual dividend, set to be paid on September 8th, with a current dividend payout ratio of 77.44%.

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,347 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,526 shares during the quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,789,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock worth $2,457,706,000 after acquiring an additional 686,008 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 189.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after buying an additional 15,722,197 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,186,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $995,032,000 after buying an additional 212,301 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,647,948 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,003,124,000 after buying an additional 3,224,251 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,322,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $348,730,000 after buying an additional 636,537 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $73.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,986,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,348,094. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $228.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.36. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $71.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.