Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC Buys 522 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 12,876 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $844,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $72.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.94 billion, a PE ratio of 34.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. 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 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) 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, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.15%.

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.