Oarsman Capital Inc. Grows Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Oarsman Capital Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC by 18.6% in Q1, now holding 23,705 shares valued at approximately $1.74 million.
• Analysts have set a target price of $97.00 for AstraZeneca stocks, with a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• AstraZeneca recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.505 per share, representing a yield of 200.0%.

Oarsman Capital Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 18.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,705 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,726 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.40 on Tuesday, hitting $79.51. 1,348,054 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,198,143. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.52. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.25. 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 has a market capitalization of $246.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.37.

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

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About AstraZeneca

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.