AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Purchased by Veracity Capital LLC

Veracity Capital LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,833 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the quarter. Veracity Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 1,614.8% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the period. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 56.3% in the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.3 %

AZN opened at $78.26 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.65 billion, a PE ratio of 37.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $81.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $78.20.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.