Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Acquires Shares of 57,852 AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 57,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,438,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $239,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 20.9% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 40,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,800,000 after acquiring an additional 6,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 37.7% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 23,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after purchasing an additional 6,424 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $208.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $323.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $122.48 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $122.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.53.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 153.0%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 74.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Company 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.