Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Has $343,000 Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,117 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% during the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.8% during the third quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $71.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,120,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,141,646. The company has a market cap of $220.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.90, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.92. 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

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.