Wick Capital Partners LLC Acquires 10,327 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Wick Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 128.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,360 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,327 shares during the quarter. Wick Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Becker Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 378,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,724 shares during the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 3,155,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,768,000 after buying an additional 503,030 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 74.5% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 36,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,378,000 after buying an additional 15,499 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,692,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $307,464,000 after acquiring an additional 952,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empire Financial Management Company LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC now owns 12,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $71.71 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued 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 was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. 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.