American Century Companies Inc. Has $167.79 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 40.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,187,050 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 626,724 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AstraZeneca worth $167,791,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 21.5% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,942,000 after buying an additional 11,398 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,595,000 after acquiring an additional 181,273 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 111.6% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 35,148 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 20.4% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares during the period. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 96.2% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 38,043 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 2.3%

NASDAQ AZN opened at $208.72 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $323.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $135.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.37. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.83%.

About AstraZeneca

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.