Investors Research Corp Has $267,000 Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Investors Research Corp increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,957 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the quarter. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $68.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $76.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About AstraZeneca

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.