SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 6,080 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $398,000.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Martin Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,571,000 after buying an additional 7,615 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.9 %
Shares of AZN stock traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $77.96. 4,909,487 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,656,809. The stock's 50 day moving average is $70.39 and its 200-day moving average is $72.84. The company has a market cap of $241.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase 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%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis 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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