SG Americas Securities LLC Raises Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 450.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 253,474 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 207,463 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $23,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 144.0% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $182.94 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $122.48 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $283.73 billion, a PE ratio of 27.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is 74.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings began coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.