Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Purchases 796 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,414 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $1,505,000. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 11,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 1,488 shares in the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $482,000. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 30,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,004,000 after buying an additional 6,229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $240.34 billion, a PE ratio of 34.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. 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 given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average 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.