Natural Investments LLC Purchases New Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Natural Investments LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 46,154 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,024,000. AstraZeneca makes up about 0.8% of Natural Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in AstraZeneca by 1.8% during the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 5.9% during the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $75.99 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $71.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 91.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca 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.