Park Avenue Securities LLC Has $9.82 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 106,786 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,910 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $9,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.9% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after buying an additional 196,401 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,604,000 after buying an additional 466,745 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,517,000 after buying an additional 582,183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,232,000 after buying an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $183.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $284.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $122.48 and a 1-year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings began coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.