Cooper Financial Group Buys 998 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Cooper Financial Group raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,365 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 998 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $10,395,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 26,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,809,000 after buying an additional 2,549 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 110.9% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 7,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $1.03 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $83.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,054,523 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,360,585. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $79.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.95. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $83.56. The firm has a market cap of $259.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.45.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The company had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Argus upped their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price objective on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average 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.