Courier Capital LLC Acquires 2,135 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Courier Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 20.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,501 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,135 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $874,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Maseco LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $85.12 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $263.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.00, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $79.59 and a 200 day moving average of $73.62. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $86.57.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued 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 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 business posted $1.24 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.505 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 target price on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently 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.