Whittier Trust Co. Boosts Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 35.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,916 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,154 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company's stock worth $9,433,000 after buying an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company's stock worth $3,508,000 after buying an additional 5,569 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $72.72. The stock had a trading volume of 6,516,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,945,977. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Company 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.