Fisher Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,959,852 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 479,692 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $718,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upgraded 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 issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of AZN opened at $76.21 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $69.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.07. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $236.34 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

AstraZeneca 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.