Aprio Wealth Management LLC Acquires 860 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,162 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 468.4% in the 4th quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $76.87 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $81.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.53. The stock has a market cap of $238.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.34%. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.