AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Purchased by Zevin Asset Management LLC

Zevin Asset Management LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,875 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 18,776 shares during the period. Zevin Asset Management LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $10,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Aurora Investment Counsel raised its position in AstraZeneca by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 36,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,851 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 38,017 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,491,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC raised its position 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, Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $3,328,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $76.32. The company had a trading volume of 4,050,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,935,266. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $236.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.15%.

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.