Boston Common Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 21.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,424 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,576 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $7,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. increased its position in Astrazeneca by 3.3% during the third quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 3,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.7% in the third 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 last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 30.6% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 32.0% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 2.9%

NYSE AZN opened at $193.87 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $122.48 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $300.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. 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.