Crumly & Associates Inc. Increases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Crumly & Associates Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,083 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,806,000 after purchasing an additional 35,000 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 268.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 60,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,723,000 after acquiring an additional 44,189 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 7,331.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 283,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000,000 after acquiring an additional 279,844 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.56 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $68.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Equities 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. 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 (DPR) is 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.