May Hill Capital LLC Makes New Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

May Hill Capital LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 4,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $296,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth 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 period. Veery Capital LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.2 %

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

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued 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 predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Company 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.