Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. Acquires 6,970 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 16.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,035 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,970 shares during the quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,278,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 39.7% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 36,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,366,000 after acquiring an additional 10,257 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 37.7% during the 4th quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 60,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,980,000 after purchasing an additional 7,364 shares during the period. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $2,076,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $31,192,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $74.56 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 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 PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 43.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. 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, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.