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

Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 69.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,155 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,377 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 468.4% during the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 56.3% during the 1st quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.62 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $81.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.10. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $240.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.05, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

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.