Addison Advisors LLC Acquires 266 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 36.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 996 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Addison Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $67,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the third quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.14 on Friday, reaching $75.17. 6,687,969 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,718,667. The company has a market capitalization of $233.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $75.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $67.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.34% and a net margin of 13.30%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.61%.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.