Guggenheim Capital LLC Has $13.07 Million Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Guggenheim Capital LLC trimmed its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 199,514 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,836 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $13,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several research reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $67.54. 3,796,013 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,234,555. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $72.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.57. The firm has a market cap of $209.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. 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 announced 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.