Altrius Capital Management Inc Has $8.75 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Altrius Capital Management Inc decreased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 112,214 shares of the company’s stock after selling 525 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca makes up 2.3% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $8,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 61,271,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,151,177,000 after purchasing an additional 9,002,450 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 14,684,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $988,972,000 after buying an additional 4,122,965 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at $186,127,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at $188,476,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $143,999,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $78.58 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $81.80 and its 200 day moving average is $76.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $243.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a yield of 1.8%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Argus lifted their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Company 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.