AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Motco

Motco increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,593 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Motco’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,806,000 after acquiring an additional 35,000 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $78,000. Golden State Equity Partners purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $273,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at $101,000. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 33,059 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,576,000 after buying an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.2 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $75.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $69.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.11. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $234.60 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.