Capital International Investors boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 686,008 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned 1.21% of AstraZeneca worth $2,457,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $254,018,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.4% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 72,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,748,000 after buying an additional 17,721 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 23,554 shares of the company's stock worth $1,543,000 after acquiring an additional 1,857 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP increased its position in AstraZeneca by 228.3% during the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 673,461 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,125,000 after purchasing an additional 468,353 shares during the period. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.3 %
Shares of AZN traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $68.72. The company had a trading volume of 3,133,081 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,221,842. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $72.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
AZN has been the topic of several research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $86.80.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AZN
AstraZeneca Profile
(
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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