3,199 Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Purchased by Waldron Private Wealth LLC

Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of AZN opened at $68.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $211.65 billion, a PE ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s fifty day moving average is $65.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.83. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $60.47 and a fifty-two week high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 100.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Profile

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.