Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 923 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,341 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after acquiring an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $72.60 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $73.78 and its 200-day moving average is $71.53. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $225.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.