154,340 Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Purchased by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 154,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,395,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $715,198,000. Manning & Napier Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 281.2% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 2,779,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,064 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 22,946,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,553,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,295 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 317.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,242,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,136,000 after buying an additional 944,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 134.8% during the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,640,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,119,000 after buying an additional 941,917 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.7 %

AZN opened at $76.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $236.72 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $76.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 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 analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

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.