Nicholas Company Inc. Raises Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Nicholas Company Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 17.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,161,009 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 171,199 shares during the period. AstraZeneca comprises approximately 1.2% of Nicholas Company Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Nicholas Company Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $76,069,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $158,018,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company's stock valued at $238,397,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605,758 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company's stock worth $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 15,819.8% in the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 1,179,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $72,437,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. One 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.3 %

AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, reaching $76.52. The company had a trading volume of 3,194,793 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,934,070. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. 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 moving average price is $72.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.86, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

About AstraZeneca

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.