Primecap Management Co. CA Has $3.06 Billion Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Primecap Management Co. CA lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,857,971 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,342,120 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up 2.3% of Primecap Management Co. CA’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Primecap Management Co. CA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,057,904,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after buying an additional 196,401 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,695,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,446,235,000 after acquiring an additional 530,520 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605,133 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,734,000 after acquiring an additional 104,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 27.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,824,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048,738 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $206.22 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $122.48 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $319.82 billion, a PE ratio of 68.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.36.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.83%.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.