AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Altrius Capital Management Inc

Altrius Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 115,153 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,363 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca makes up approximately 2.0% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 6,835.8% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 708,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,389,000 after purchasing an additional 697,801 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 23,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,568,000 after buying an additional 1,361 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 102,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,724,000 after acquiring an additional 10,653 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 37,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,437,000 after acquiring an additional 5,797 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $256,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of AZN stock opened at $75.65 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.11. 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 quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given 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 yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.