Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 30,472 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC by 3.4%, owning a total of 922,330 shares valued at approximately $67.79 million.
• AstraZeneca reported $1.09 earnings per share for the last quarter, aligning with analyst predictions, and showed a significant year-over-year revenue increase of 16.1%.
• The company has declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.505, with a yield of 200% and a current dividend payout ratio of 37.97%.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 922,330 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 30,472 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $67,791,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tlwm increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Tlwm now owns 17,259 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. Rossmore Private Capital boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.3% during the first quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 62,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,555 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.9% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 745,598 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,801,000 after acquiring an additional 34,973 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,019,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in AstraZeneca by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 4,921 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.3%

AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Monday, hitting $79.37. The company had a trading volume of 1,727,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,303,894. 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 cap of $246.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.36. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $72.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.91. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 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 business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.