AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Acquired by TD Asset Management Inc

Key Points

• TD Asset Management boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 20.0% in Q3, buying 181,273 shares to hold 1,089,612 shares worth $83.595 million.
• Multiple institutions—including Fayez Sarofim, Acadian, Raymond James, JPMorgan and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan—also significantly increased positions, and institutional investors now own 20.35% of AZN.
• Analysts remain broadly positive with nine Buy ratings vs. one Sell and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $95.75 consensus price target; the company also declared a $1.595 dividend payable March 23 (record date Feb 20).

TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,089,612 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 181,273 shares during the quarter. TD Asset Management Inc's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $83,595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Fayez Sarofim & Co grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 173.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company's stock worth $261,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376,032 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,389.9% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,043,850 shares of the company's stock worth $142,798,000 after purchasing an additional 1,961,764 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 64.8% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company's stock worth $264,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487,662 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth $96,936,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 27.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,824,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $370,103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048,738 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Wall Street Zen cut AstraZeneca from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, HSBC restated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $203.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $122.48 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The business's fifty day moving average price is $133.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.08. The company has a market capitalization of $315.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.63, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.83%.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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's operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.

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