Community Trust & Investment Co. Increases Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Community Trust & Investment Co. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC by 21.2% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 39,488 shares, bringing its total to 226,161 shares valued at approximately $15.8 million.
• AstraZeneca reported a net revenue of $14.46 billion for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $14.08 billion, while EPS met the expected $1.09.
• The company recently cut its dividend, issuing a semi-annual dividend of $0.505 per share, representing a yield of 200% and a payout ratio of 37.97%.

Community Trust & Investment Co. lifted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 226,161 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,488 shares during the quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $15,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $426,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in AstraZeneca by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 27,080 shares of the company's stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 9,151 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,284 shares of the company's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $5,641,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ AZN traded up $1.22 during trading on Monday, hitting $77.50. 4,868,356 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,518,580. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $76.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $82.41. The firm has a market cap of $240.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.14, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.37.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (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 period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.00.

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.