RNC Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,055 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

RNC Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,952 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,055 shares during the period. RNC Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 5,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.5% in the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% in the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust Co raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.9% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $68.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $211.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $65.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.965 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 100.52%.

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.