AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Purchased by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 23.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 196,563 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,214 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $13,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% during the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $75.48 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.10. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.58.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.