Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,060,198 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 99,383 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of AstraZeneca worth $134,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Albion Financial Group UT boosted 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 worth $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position 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 valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
AstraZeneca Stock Performance
Shares of AZN traded down $0.75 on Wednesday, reaching $76.32. 4,050,571 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,935,266. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $72.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $236.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month 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%. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $89.75.
Read Our Latest Report on AZN
About AstraZeneca
(
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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