Oxbow Advisors LLC Has $2.45 Million Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Oxbow Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1,162.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 37,343 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,385 shares during the quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,447,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $74.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.83, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $68.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results 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 32.23%. As a group, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.