Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Holdings Raised by Cambiar Investors LLC

Key Points

• Cambiar Investors LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.0% in Q4, buying 5,326 shares to hold 276,150 shares valued at $25,386,000 per its latest Form 13F filing.
• Analyst coverage is mixed but leaning positive: nine analysts rate AZN a Buy and one a Sell, giving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $95.75.
• AstraZeneca opened at $204.09 with a market cap of $316.52 billion and a P/E of 35.16; the company paid a $1.595 dividend on March 23 (dividend payout ratio 74.83%) and has a 12‑month range of $128.89–$212.71.

Cambiar Investors LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 276,150 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,326 shares during the period. Cambiar Investors LLC's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $25,386,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy (b)" rating for the company. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.4%

AZN opened at $204.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $316.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $128.89 and a 12-month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.83%.

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.

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