Benson Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 63,482 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,436,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $557,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the first quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 28,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,062,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.4% in the first quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 4,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.7% in the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 23,709 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,743,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grimes & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.0% in the second quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 5,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
AstraZeneca Price Performance
AstraZeneca stock opened at $84.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $262.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.78, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $79.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.45. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $86.57.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.09. The company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. AstraZeneca's revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.24 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.
AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend
The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.97%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.00.
View Our Latest Research Report on AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider AstraZeneca, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and AstraZeneca wasn't on the list.
While AstraZeneca currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Nuclear energy stocks are roaring. It's the hottest energy sector of the year. Cameco Corp, Paladin Energy, and BWX Technologies were all up more than 40% in 2024. The biggest market moves could still be ahead of us, and there are seven nuclear energy stocks that could rise much higher in the next several months. To unlock these tickers, enter your email address below.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
