Sandy Spring Bank Boosts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Sandy Spring Bank grew its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 18.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,617 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,811 shares during the quarter. Sandy Spring Bank's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Albion Financial Group UT grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. 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 period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.84 during trading on Monday, reaching $74.09. 3,740,890 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,936,571. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $72.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.91. 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 firm has a market cap of $229.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

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AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.