Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 64,882 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,026,912 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 64,882 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AstraZeneca worth $132,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,972 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 20,838 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 5,459 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 20,574 shares of the company's stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,161 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock worth $2,457,706,000 after buying an additional 686,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $254,018,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.82 on Thursday, reaching $69.33. 1,742,305 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,214,304. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $72.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.35. 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 PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS 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 given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

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.