Stock Traders Buy High Volume of AstraZeneca Call Options (NASDAQ:AZN)

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders purchased 153,234 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,149% compared to the average daily volume of 12,270 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $74.56. 3,335,561 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,280,598. AstraZeneca has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.99, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.29.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 43.36%.

About AstraZeneca

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.