Argentarii LLC Purchases New Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Argentarii LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Axis Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $269,000. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 21,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,395,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,313,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $1,382,000. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 16,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after buying an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $77.50 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $240.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.29, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $70.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

AstraZeneca Profile

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.