AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Raised by Hudock Inc.

Hudock Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,603 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Hudock Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $281,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $226,000. Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $204,000. Consolidated Planning Corp purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $217,000. Finally, Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 5,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AZN. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded down $2.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $82.92. The company had a trading volume of 4,699,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,241,922. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $81.23 and a 200-day moving average of $75.40. The firm has a market cap of $257.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.60, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 48.04%.

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.