Park Avenue Securities LLC Acquires 2,910 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 106,786 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,910 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $9,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 11,398 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,595,000 after purchasing an additional 181,273 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 35,148 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 96.2% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 38,043 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $183.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $284.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

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

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.