Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,012 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,058 shares during the quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth $26,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the first quarter worth $29,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 468.4% during the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 56.3% during the first quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $78.38 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $81.80 and its 200-day moving average is $76.57. The company has a market cap of $243.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business 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 yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Citigroup upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca 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.