Legacy Capital Group California Inc. Buys New Position in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Legacy Capital Group California opened a new position in AstraZeneca in Q3, purchasing 5,287 shares valued at about $406,000.
• Several large asset managers boosted holdings—Primecap (~41.2M shares), Franklin (~21.3M), Fisher (~21.16M), Dimensional (~6.81M) and Ameriprise (~5.05M)—and institutional investors own roughly 20.35% of the company.
• AstraZeneca trades near $194.44 with a market cap of about $301.6B and has announced a $1.595 dividend payable March 23 (record Feb 20); analysts’ consensus is a Moderate Buy (9 Buys, 1 Sell) with a consensus target of $95.75.

Legacy Capital Group California Inc. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its position in AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 41,200,091 shares of the company's stock worth $2,879,062,000 after buying an additional 538,606 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after acquiring an additional 196,401 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company's stock worth $1,623,604,000 after acquiring an additional 466,745 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $521,517,000 after acquiring an additional 582,183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,734,000 after purchasing an additional 104,625 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $194.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $122.48 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $146.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.43. The firm has a market cap of $301.56 billion, a PE ratio of 64.60, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.32.

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 issued a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is 66.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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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