Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC Raises Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,526 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $73.58 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.77 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.43. The firm has a market cap of $228.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 43.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

About AstraZeneca

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.