Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $87.60 Million Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 35.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,300,606 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 342,185 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $87,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 375.6% during the third quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.17. The stock had a trading volume of 6,687,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,718,667. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $75.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.06 billion, a PE ratio of 36.85, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company’s 50-day moving average is $67.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.06.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.34%. The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.61%.

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.