AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 41.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,275 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,465 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.9% in the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,313,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AZN. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $76.32 on Thursday. 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 of $72.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.16. The company has a market cap of $236.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.77, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 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.