AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Acquired by ICONIQ Capital LLC

ICONIQ Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,823 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,778 shares during the period. ICONIQ Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.6%

AZN stock opened at $80.97 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $72.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.25. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 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 for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.505 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.