3,376 Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Bought by Portfolio Design Labs LLC

Portfolio Design Labs LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth 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 period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $74.43 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.48. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $60.76 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $230.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. Sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders 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 an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently 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.