Signet Financial Management LLC Invests $2.57 Million in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Signet Financial Management LLC bought a new stake of 27,899 shares in AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) in the fourth quarter, valued at about $2.565 million.
• AstraZeneca declared a dividend of $1.595 per share payable on March 23 (record and ex-dividend date: Feb 20); the article reports a dividend yield of 156.0% and a payout ratio of 66.26%.
• Multiple large institutions—including Bank of America, Fisher Asset Management, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Holocene Advisors and Ameriprise—added to their AZN positions, institutional ownership stands at 20.35%, and the company has a market cap of $284.44 billion with a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating.

Signet Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 27,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,565,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461,786 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company's stock worth $1,623,604,000 after purchasing an additional 466,745 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 9.4% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company's stock worth $521,517,000 after purchasing an additional 582,183 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company's stock worth $470,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807,565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,707,561 shares of the company's stock worth $438,342,000 after purchasing an additional 660,569 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $183.40 on Friday. 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 Plc has a 1-year low of $122.48 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $284.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy (b)" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca 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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