AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Purchased by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,241 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Albion Financial Group UT grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $73.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $62.75 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

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.