Natixis Advisors LLC Has $134.98 Million Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,060,198 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 99,383 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $134,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.60 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.48. The company has a market cap of $240.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.34, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. As a group, sell-side 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 will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.