First American Bank Increases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

First American Bank lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,314 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,091 shares during the quarter. First American Bank’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of 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 assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $75.65 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $69.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.11. The company has a market cap of $234.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.47, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. 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 results 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 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

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.