Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 891,858 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,038 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $58,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. 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 period. Veery Capital LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,313,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

AstraZeneca Stock Down 7.4 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $68.46 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.38. 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 PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.