Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 181,256 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,018 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $12,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $68.27 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $211.66 billion, a PE ratio of 35.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.85. 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 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 the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 EPS for the current 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 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 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.