DeDora Capital Inc. Grows Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

DeDora Capital Inc. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,302 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 301 shares during the quarter. DeDora Capital Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 297.9% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% in the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Maseco LLP purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter worth about $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.0%

AstraZeneca stock opened at $84.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $262.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.36. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $86.57. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $80.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%.The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.505 dividend. This represents a yield of 200.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.00.

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.