Fiduciary Group LLC Buys 3,917 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Fiduciary Group LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 50,912 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,917 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $76.32 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $62.75 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.16.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate 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 is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. 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 assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price 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.