Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Purchased by Bamco Inc. NY

Key Points

• Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 9.4%, acquiring 12,000 shares to hold 140,008 shares valued at $10,741,000 at the end of the quarter.
• Analysts give AZN a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (nine Buy, one Sell) with an average target price of $95.75.
• AstraZeneca announced a dividend of $1.595 per share payable March 23 with an ex-dividend date of February 20, which the article reports as a 156.0% yield.

Bamco Inc. NY increased its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 140,008 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,000 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $10,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 376.0% in the second quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 144.0% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in Astrazeneca by 1,767.9% during the third quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 523 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy (b)" rating for the company. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $190.20 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $122.48 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $294.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.32. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's payout ratio is 66.26%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AZN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report).

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.