Denali Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Denali Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 56.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,999 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,024 shares during the quarter. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ethic Inc. increased its position in Astrazeneca by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 96,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,971,000 after purchasing an additional 12,320 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 36,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,427,000 after buying an additional 1,617 shares during the period. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 5,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $182.71 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $194.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $180.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.