Signaturefd LLC Purchases 2,045 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 59,243 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,045 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,537,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,160,000 after buying an additional 121,876 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth $269,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 6,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 124.5% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 98,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,657,000 after purchasing an additional 54,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at about $836,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

AZN traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $77.08. 976,850 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,036,402. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $81.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.35. 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 PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $238.99 billion, a PE ratio of 37.96, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen raised 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. Citigroup upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.