Aberdeen Group plc Grows Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 841,574 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,357 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $77,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.8% during the third quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 3,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,283,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $203.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.35. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week 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.

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 given a dividend of $1.595 per share. 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.