Procyon Advisors LLC Buys 3,573 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 82.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,911 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,573 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 505,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,293,000 after buying an additional 14,025 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 123.6% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $721,000 after buying an additional 5,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 22,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,580,000 after buying an additional 2,448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Citigroup began coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $184.27 on Tuesday. 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 Plc has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $285.79 billion, a PE ratio of 31.74, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s 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.