Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD Buys Shares of 52,380 AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 52,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,429,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised 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 acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised 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 acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $74.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.23 billion, a PE ratio of 32.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $71.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68.

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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.