Hexagon Capital Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 62.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,951 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 15.5% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 61,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,167,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $76.41 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $76.80. The firm has a market cap of $236.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.46, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of 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 given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.