Assetmark Inc. Purchases 19,020 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 310,383 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,020 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $23,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 173.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376,032 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,389.9% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,043,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,798,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961,764 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605,133 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 64.8% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth approximately $96,936,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $205.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two week high of $206.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.95. The company has a market cap of $318.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.26, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 165.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 74.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen cut AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.