Cwm LLC Buys 8,886 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC by 88.1%, acquiring an additional 8,886 shares and valuing its total holdings at $1,326,000.
• Institutional investors have significantly increased their positions in AstraZeneca, with notable raises by Goldman Sachs (30.9% increase) and Valeo Financial Advisors (14,797.3% increase).
• AstraZeneca reported a quarterly revenue of $14.46 billion, surpassing analyst estimates, and declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.505 with a yield of 200.0%.

Cwm LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 88.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,973 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,886 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 30.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,647,948 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,003,124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,224,251 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 14,797.3% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,322,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $162,306,000 after buying an additional 2,307,047 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 406.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,020,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,517,000 after buying an additional 1,621,974 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 35.9% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,036,645 shares of the company's stock worth $368,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,329,166 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 650.1% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,234,847 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,761,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,223 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $83.87 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $86.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.42 and a 200-day moving average of $73.97. 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 capitalization of $260.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.36.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock 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.

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