Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,643 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $239,000.
Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,806,000 after purchasing an additional 35,000 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.2% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 5,368 shares of the company's stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 84,511 shares of the company's stock worth $6,584,000 after acquiring an additional 9,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $308,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
AstraZeneca Stock Performance
NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $76.32. The company had a trading volume of 4,050,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,935,266. 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 $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $236.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $72.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.13.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 91.15%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded 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, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.75.
View Our Latest Analysis on AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca Company Profile
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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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