Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Acquired by Brucke Financial Inc.

Brucke Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 25.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,344 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,868 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca makes up approximately 0.7% of Brucke Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Brucke Financial Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,604,000 after buying an additional 466,745 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 9.4% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,517,000 after buying an additional 582,183 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,232,000 after buying an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 13.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,707,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $438,342,000 after acquiring an additional 660,569 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on AZN shares. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup started coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:AZN opened at $185.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $287.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.32. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

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

Astrazeneca Profile

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.