Rossby Financial LCC Acquires New Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Rossby Financial LCC bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after acquiring an additional 7,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after acquiring an additional 5,569 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $68.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.77. The company has a market capitalization of $210.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on AZN. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

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.