14,706 Shares in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Acquired by RFG Advisory LLC

Key Points

• RFG Advisory LLC opened a new position in AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) in Q4, buying 14,706 shares valued at approximately $2.58 million.
• Equity analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on AZN (12 Buys, 1 Sell) with a consensus price target of $205.33.
• AstraZeneca recently reported an EPS beat of $2.58 vs. $2.52 and revenue of $15.29 billion (vs. $14.93 billion), and the stock trades at a market cap of about $283.3 billion with a PE of 27.43.

RFG Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 14,706 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,581,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 3,350.0% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 345 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $182.67 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $194.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $283.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $132.32 and a twelve month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's payout ratio is currently 65.17%.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.