Eversept Partners LP Makes New $6.73 Million Investment in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Eversept Partners LP bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 102,661 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,726,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company's stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.0 %

AZN stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $69.57. The company had a trading volume of 6,662,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,175,220. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.78, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. 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 earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.