Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,322,388 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 636,537 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.17% of AstraZeneca worth $348,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company's stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,350 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,313,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.0 %
AZN stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $69.57. 6,660,759 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,223,433. 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 PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $72.43 and a 200-day moving average of $70.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.75 billion, a PE ratio of 30.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is currently 91.15%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.80.
View Our Latest Stock Report on AstraZeneca
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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