UBS Group AG Grows Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 15.9% in Q4, adding 394,521 shares to hold 2,878,796 shares (about 0.09% of the company) valued at roughly $264.65 million.
• AstraZeneca beat the quarter's expectations with EPS of $2.58 versus $2.53 expected and revenue of $15.29 billion versus $14.74 billion, while analysts forecast about 10.27 EPS for the current year.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy—with eight Buys and one Sell—and a consensus price target of $102.67.

UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,878,796 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 394,521 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.09% of Astrazeneca worth $264,648,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Astrazeneca by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 8,080 shares of the company's stock worth $743,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 8,593 shares of the company's stock worth $790,000 after buying an additional 698 shares in the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 2,792 shares of the company's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup began coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $186.75 on Wednesday. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $132.32 and a fifty-two week 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. The firm has a market cap of $289.63 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.05. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.57% and a net margin of 17.41%.The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.74 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

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