Fayez Sarofim & Co Boosts Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,643,010 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 198,977 shares during the quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned about 0.12% of AstraZeneca worth $238,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 32,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,105,000 after buying an additional 4,485 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 15,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 3,302 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 149.0% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 40,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,669,000 after acquiring an additional 24,378 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 256,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,813,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norinchukin Bank The lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 5,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $67.54 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $72.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $209.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.