Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 459,560 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,768 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $30,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock traded up $1.26 on Tuesday, reaching $74.84. 2,997,898 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,241,583. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.17 and a 200-day moving average of $73.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $232.09 billion, a PE ratio of 33.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.