Madison Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $3.33 Million Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 50,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,328,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,433,000 after buying an additional 7,341 shares during the period. Finally, Asio Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after buying an additional 5,569 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $232.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $72.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.10. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

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.