AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Holdings Raised by Fiduciary Group LLC

Fiduciary Group LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 317.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,505 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,330 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.2 %

AZN traded up $0.14 on Friday, reaching $75.17. 6,687,969 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,718,667. The company has a market cap of $233.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.85, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.05. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $75.81.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.34%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.965 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 94.61%.

About AstraZeneca

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.