Cozad Asset Management Inc. Has $2.17 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 32,249 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,450 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $75.88 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.16. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $76.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.26 billion, a PE ratio of 37.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results 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 30.42% 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Company 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.