Profund Advisors LLC Has $3.84 Million Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Profund Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,204 shares of the company’s stock after selling 373 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cox Capital Mgt LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth about $2,683,000. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 8.6% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,537,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,160,000 after purchasing an additional 121,876 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 9.7% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 6,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 124.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 98,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,657,000 after buying an additional 54,488 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $78.38 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $243.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $81.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. The firm 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%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Citigroup raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen raised their target price on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.