Hilltop National Bank Purchases New Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,598 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $321,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 95,925.0% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 166.8% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 23,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,733,000 after purchasing an additional 14,743 shares during the period. Fermata Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at about $293,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 13.0% during the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $85.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $264.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $78.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.10. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $85.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.