Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Has $1.78 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,471 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,118 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,783,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 15.5% in the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 61,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,167,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.55 on Friday, hitting $76.35. 9,026,349 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,666,863. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. The business’s fifty day moving average is $68.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.36. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $76.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.43, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.47.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 94.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

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.