Crestwood Advisors Group LLC Has $40.30 Million Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 10.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 525,251 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 50,068 shares during the quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $40,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fayez Sarofim & Co raised 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 acquiring an additional 2,376,032 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,389.9% in the second 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 lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,255,000 after buying an additional 1,605,133 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,487,662 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $96,936,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $205.47 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $318.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.26, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two week high of $206.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $115.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.99.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

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

AstraZeneca 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.