DRW Securities LLC Increases Stake in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• DRW Securities LLC significantly increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC by 191.8%, acquiring a total of 15,212 shares valued at approximately $1.1 million.
• AstraZeneca reported earnings of $1.09 per share for the last quarter, matching analysts' expectations, and generated $14.46 billion in revenue, exceeding predictions.
• Analysts have given AstraZeneca a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $86.00, reflecting positive sentiment in the market.

DRW Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 191.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,212 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,998 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 189.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock worth $1,574,247,000 after buying an additional 15,722,197 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,647,948 shares of the company's stock worth $1,003,124,000 after buying an additional 3,224,251 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 406.9% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,020,629 shares of the company's stock worth $148,517,000 after buying an additional 1,621,974 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 35.9% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,036,645 shares of the company's stock worth $368,712,000 after buying an additional 1,329,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 815.8% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,073,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,344,000 after buying an additional 1,223,630 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $81.70. 2,464,382 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,602,865. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $84.30. The company has a market cap of $253.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $74.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.75.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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