Avantra Family Wealth Inc. Boosts Stake in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Avantra Family Wealth Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,647 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Avantra Family Wealth Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 447.4% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maseco LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $85.49 on Tuesday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $78.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.12. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $86.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $265.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.14, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.36.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The company had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.505 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 200.0%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 37.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.