Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Position Raised by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 6.4% in Q4, now owning 101,828 shares worth about $9.36 million.
• Several other institutions also boosted positions—Brighton Jones (+93.2%), Jump Financial (+898.4%), and AQR (+45.3%)—and total institutional ownership stands at 20.35%.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” (eight Buys, one Sell) with a consensus price target of $102.67; recent coverage includes bullish calls from Weiss, Morgan Stanley and TD Cowen while Wall Street Zen downgraded to Hold.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 101,828 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,113 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $9,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock worth $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock worth $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy (b)" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Citigroup began coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 2.3%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $205.03 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $132.32 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $317.98 billion, a PE ratio of 35.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

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

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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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