Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,035 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,970 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
AstraZeneca Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $74.20. 3,614,801 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,231,667. The firm has a market cap of $230.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.83, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have commented on AZN. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.75.
View Our Latest Research Report on AZN
About AstraZeneca
(
Free Report)
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.
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