Guardian Partners Inc. Makes New $3.17 Million Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 47,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,167,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,806,000 after buying an additional 35,000 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 19,413 shares of the company's stock worth $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,388,000 after acquiring an additional 5,022 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,458 shares of the company's stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $336,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

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AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $72.84. 4,563,181 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,940,451. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $73.41 and a 200 day moving average of $71.79.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's 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.