Financial Perspectives Inc Grows Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Financial Perspectives Inc raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 23.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,784 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the third quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.0 %

AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.85. The stock had a trading volume of 5,554,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,139,129. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $66.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $219.67 billion, a PE ratio of 36.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

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.