Seascape Capital Management Buys 1,032 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Seascape Capital Management increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 42,309 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Seascape Capital Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $238,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,758 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $72,437,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,407,000 after buying an additional 564,297 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,480,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $816,509,000 after buying an additional 524,175 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.2 %

AZN stock opened at $73.58 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.77 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $228.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $68.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its 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 return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 earnings per share 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 represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

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.