Curbstone Financial Management Corp Makes New $415,000 Investment in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Curbstone Financial Management Corp bought a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $415,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Burney Co. increased its position in Astrazeneca by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 14,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC now owns 276,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,386,000 after purchasing an additional 5,326 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 50,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,666,000 after purchasing an additional 3,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in Astrazeneca by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 101,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,361,000 after purchasing an additional 6,113 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $204.09 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $128.89 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $316.52 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.35. 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 issued a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is 74.83%.

About Astrazeneca

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.