Fmr LLC Has $1.46 Billion Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Fmr LLC decreased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,311,517 shares of the company’s stock after selling 805,930 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,461,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,444,000 after acquiring an additional 3,670,719 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $158,018,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 8.7% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,101,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,179,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222,669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 15,819.8% during the 4th 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 period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Stock Down 7.4 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $68.46 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $212.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $73.96 and its 200 day moving average is $71.38. 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 PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $1.03 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 91.15%.

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.