CENTRAL TRUST Co Has $1.35 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 24.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,713 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,847 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $183.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $284.24 billion, a PE ratio of 27.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $132.32 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $196.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $180.36.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.43%.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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.