AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 104.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,939 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,091 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $75.65 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.11. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $234.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

About AstraZeneca

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.