Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 14.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,100,390 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 262,465 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $161,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 376.0% in the 2nd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1,767.9% during the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on AZN. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $194.44 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $301.56 billion, a PE ratio of 64.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $122.48 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 156.0%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.26%.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.