Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Raises Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,026,912 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 64,882 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AstraZeneca worth $132,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 493,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $946,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $4,822,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 231.3% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 115.5% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 4,430 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $67.54 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $209.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $72.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.57.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.80.

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.