Bank of America Corp DE Boosts Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,461,786 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 1.05% of Astrazeneca worth $2,503,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 376.0% during the 2nd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in Astrazeneca by 144.0% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 1,767.9% in the third quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 1.2%

AZN opened at $190.20 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $294.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.77, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders 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 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.26%.

Astrazeneca Company 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.