Oakworth Capital Inc. Grows Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,399 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. First Affirmative Financial Network grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 5,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.5% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $68.58. The company had a trading volume of 2,590,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,191,058. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $65.98 and a 200 day moving average of $65.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.965 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 100.52%.

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.