Centiva Capital LP Acquires Shares of 8,330 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 8,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $639,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter worth $31,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 376.0% during the 2nd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1,767.9% in the third quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $190.20 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $122.48 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $294.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 66.26%.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.