AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Holdings Raised by Boston Partners

Boston Partners raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 9,985.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,707,479 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned 0.12% of AstraZeneca worth $243,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 16,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after buying an additional 2,954 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 12,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 60,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,941,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 708.1% during the 4th quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 85,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,583,000 after purchasing an additional 74,666 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $77.07 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $72.28 and its 200-day moving average is $72.13. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $239.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results 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%. Equities 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 issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. 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.