SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 207,463 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 450.9% in Q4, acquiring an additional 207,463 shares to own 253,474 shares worth about $23.3 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mainly positive with nine analysts rating AZN a Buy and one a Sell, giving a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.75, while firms including Barclays, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and HSBC issued favorable ratings or targets.
• AstraZeneca stock opened at $182.94 with a market cap of $283.73 billion, and the company paid a dividend of $1.595 per share on March 23 (ex-dividend Feb 20), with a reported dividend payout ratio of 74.83%.

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 450.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 253,474 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 207,463 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $23,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 1,767.9% in the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 523 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, HSBC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine research 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 currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 2.2%

AZN stock opened at $182.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $283.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.32. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $122.48 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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