Bearing Point Capital LLC Invests $747,000 in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Bearing Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 11,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $747,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. 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. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of AZN stock traded down $1.76 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,801,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,124,647. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $71.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.88. The company has a market cap of $218.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.06 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given 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 was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is 82.73%.

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.