Madison Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 50,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,328,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $158,018,000. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company's stock worth $238,397,000 after buying an additional 1,605,758 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,492,649,000 after buying an additional 1,522,715 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $72,437,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 6,835.8% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 708,009 shares of the company's stock worth $46,389,000 after acquiring an additional 697,801 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

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AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.5 %

AZN traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $72.72. 6,033,587 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,944,055. The stock has a market cap of $225.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's 50-day moving average is $73.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its 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%. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase 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.