Westerkirk Capital Inc. Invests $906,000 in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Westerkirk Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 11,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $906,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.4% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 79,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,136,000 after buying an additional 6,172 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,985,000 after buying an additional 1,459 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $356,000. Intrust Bank NA increased its position in AstraZeneca by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 16,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after acquiring an additional 777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 18,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after acquiring an additional 2,175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $204.45 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.59. The stock has a market cap of $317.09 billion, a PE ratio of 67.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $122.48 and a 12 month high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 is presently 74.83%.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.