428,441 Shares in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Purchased by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 428,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,071,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 236.1% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,117,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,192,000 after purchasing an additional 784,753 shares in the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 633 shares during the period. Intrust Bank NA increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 14,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 6,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ramirez Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 52,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,466,000 after buying an additional 808 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $73.79 on Monday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.61. The company has a market capitalization of $228.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average 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.