AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Choate Investment Advisors

Choate Investment Advisors raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 69.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,873 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,053 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $647,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 2,060,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,984,000 after buying an additional 99,383 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 12,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $835,000 after purchasing an additional 2,992 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 763.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 4,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Zevin Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLC now owns 152,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,016,000 after purchasing an additional 18,776 shares during the period. Finally, Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $239,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $77.60 on Monday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $71.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.27. The company has a market cap of $240.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.34, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS 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, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s 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.