Guardian Partners Inc. Buys New Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 47,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,167,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $74.93 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $72.83 and a 200-day moving average of $72.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $232.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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