Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 113.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 95,677 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,750 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $6,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sandy Spring Bank boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 2,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 7,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 110.9% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 791 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 35.5% in the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carr Financial Group Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $68.73 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.56. The business’s 50 day moving average is $65.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.83. The firm has a market cap of $213.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.80, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. Research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 100.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

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.