AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Position Raised by SVB Wealth LLC

SVB Wealth LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 21,017 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 868 shares during the quarter. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Affirmative Financial Network raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.9% during the third quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 5,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.5% during the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% during the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of AZN opened at $68.36 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $66.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors 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 a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.00.

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.