AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Holdings Boosted by Brighton Jones LLC

Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 28.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,470 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,002 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 61,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,167,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.8% in the third quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $76.35 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $76.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $236.72 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.30.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.965 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 94.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca 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.