Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Purchases 5,681 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 60.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,038 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,681 shares during the quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.8% in the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,313,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $72.84 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $225.89 billion, a PE ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $73.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.79.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.