WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Purchases 4,026 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,424 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,026 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,794,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Martin Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.3 %

AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.99 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,068,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,340,727. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.45 and a 200-day moving average of $73.29. The stock has a market cap of $228.89 billion, a PE ratio of 32.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company 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. 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. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research 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 has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.