Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Bought by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 750.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,628,771 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,437,253 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned about 0.05% of Astrazeneca worth $149,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,841,000 after buying an additional 2,695,793 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 173.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,764,000 after buying an additional 2,376,032 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 41.8% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 64.8% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,662 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $193.87 on Tuesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $122.48 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $300.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.26%.

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.