E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 1,488 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 27.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,920 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,488 shares during the quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $453,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note 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 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.83 and its 200 day moving average is $72.74. The company has a market cap of $240.34 billion, a PE ratio of 34.29, 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 PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 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.