National Bank of Canada FI Has $11.65 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 177,813 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,484 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $11,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth 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 period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $68.46 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.48. The firm has a market cap of $212.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

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 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on AZN. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.