AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Acquired by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 37,292 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Maseco LLP acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth $34,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.3%

AZN stock opened at $84.83 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $86.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.69. The firm has a market cap of $263.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.89, a PEG ratio of 1.56 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 firm had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict 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 paid 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.