Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Buys 4,004 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,651 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,004 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $71.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $223.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.85, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $67.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.64.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.55%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.