First Trust Advisors LP Buys 82,595 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 978,543 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 82,595 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $64,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AZN. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded 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 assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.4 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $67.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $210.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $72.61 and a 200-day moving average of $70.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year 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 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%. On average, equities analysts expect 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 given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

AstraZeneca 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.

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