Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Purchases 31,784 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 477,212 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,784 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $31,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.69 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.12. The company has a market cap of $231.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost 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 presently 91.15%.

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.