AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Purchased by Pittenger & Anderson Inc.

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,741 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,364 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management grew its position in AstraZeneca by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.2 %

AZN stock opened at $73.58 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $228.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.77 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 43.36%.

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.