AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Twin Tree Management LP

Twin Tree Management LP lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 708.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 85,210 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 74,666 shares during the quarter. Twin Tree Management LP’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $158,018,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,758 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,492,649,000 after buying an additional 1,522,715 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 15,819.8% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 1,179,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,249,000 after buying an additional 1,171,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at $72,437,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.37 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $72.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.23, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.