Fayez Sarofim & Co Boosts Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,643,010 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 198,977 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned 0.12% of AstraZeneca worth $238,690,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,457,706,000 after purchasing an additional 686,008 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,480,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,276,367,000 after buying an additional 357,894 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,011,037,000 after buying an additional 466,416 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,186,692 shares of the company's stock worth $995,032,000 after buying an additional 212,301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,959,852 shares of the company's stock valued at $718,090,000 after acquiring an additional 479,692 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.02 on Friday, hitting $69.57. The company had a trading volume of 6,662,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,181,271. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. 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 PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.33 and a 200-day moving average of $70.25.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.