Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Has $16.95 Million Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC by 7.2%, now owning 230,607 shares valued at approximately $16.95 million.
• AstraZeneca reported a 16.1% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $14.46 billion for the recent quarter, alongside earnings per share of $1.09.
• AstraZeneca declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.505, yielding 200%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 37.97%.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 230,607 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,554 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $16,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 58.4% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 13,055 shares of the company's stock valued at $960,000 after buying an additional 4,811 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 13.1% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,083 shares of the company's stock valued at $442,000 after buying an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 311,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,903,000 after buying an additional 5,557 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the first quarter valued at about $727,000. Finally, Bridgefront Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $213,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $81.70. 2,464,382 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,602,865. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $74.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.74. The company has a market cap of $253.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.37. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $84.30.

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

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, 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 Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.00.

AstraZeneca 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.