Syon Capital LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Syon Capital LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,965 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,954 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% during the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.8% during the third quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $3.83 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $75.03. The company had a trading volume of 15,454,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,258,279. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $75.81. The company has a market capitalization of $232.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.