Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership Invests $16.01 Million in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership invested approximately $16.01 million in AstraZeneca PLC, acquiring 217,824 shares, making it the 17th largest position in their portfolio.
• AstraZeneca's shares experienced a decline of 0.5%, with the stock currently trading at $80.81, while boasting a market cap of $250.62 billion.
• The company recently declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.505 per share and has a current dividend payout ratio of 37.97%.

Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 217,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,010,000. AstraZeneca makes up approximately 2.3% of Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 8,162 shares of the company's stock valued at $600,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 11.9% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 17,968 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after buying an additional 1,910 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 15.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 79,640 shares of the company's stock worth $5,854,000 after buying an additional 10,573 shares in the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $440,000. Finally, SCS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $3,066,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $80.81 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $75.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.89. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $82.41. The company has a market cap of $250.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.37. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 200.0%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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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