Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD Invests $9.99 Million in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD purchased a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 152,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,991,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $74.24 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $230.23 billion, a PE ratio of 32.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given 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 (DPR) is presently 91.15%.

AstraZeneca 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.