Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,547,564 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,771 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.11% of AstraZeneca worth $232,436,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Boston Partners increased its position in AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock worth $243,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $158,018,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company's stock worth $1,492,649,000 after buying an additional 1,522,715 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,101,025 shares of the company's stock worth $203,179,000 after buying an additional 1,222,669 shares during the period. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 15,819.8% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 1,179,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171,612 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
AstraZeneca Stock Up 2.2 %
NASDAQ:AZN traded up $1.42 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $66.29. The company had a trading volume of 5,761,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,262,431. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $205.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its 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%. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 91.15%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several brokerages have commented on AZN. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.75.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis 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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