Caldwell Trust Co Purchases 10,673 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Caldwell Trust Co boosted its AstraZeneca stake by 3,075.8% in Q4, buying 10,673 shares to hold 11,020 shares worth about $1.013 million at quarter-end.
• AstraZeneca beat expectations with quarterly EPS of $2.58 (vs. $2.53 est.) and revenue of $15.29 billion, and analysts project ~10.27 EPS for the current year.
• The stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" (eight Buys, one Sell) with a consensus price target of $102.67, while institutional investors own about 20.35% of the company and several large funds materially increased holdings.

Caldwell Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 3,075.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,020 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,673 shares during the quarter. Caldwell Trust Co's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,841,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695,793 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807,565 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in Astrazeneca by 64.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487,662 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Astrazeneca by 750.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,628,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437,253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Citigroup started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy (b)" rating on the stock. Eight 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $186.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $289.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.35. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $132.32 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.05. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.41% and a return on equity of 31.57%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.74 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.27 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

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