AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Lifted by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,250,618 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 78,286 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $84,229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,404,023 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,361,000 after acquiring an additional 233,015 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $207,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 156,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,540,000 after acquiring an additional 28,282 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management grew its position in AstraZeneca by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 3,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $76.35. 9,026,124 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,367,026. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $76.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.17 and a 200 day moving average of $66.30.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (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 30.42%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.