Guardian Capital LP Buys 4,497 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Guardian Capital LP grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,951 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,497 shares during the period. Guardian Capital LP's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Resource Group acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at about $946,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,822,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 231.3% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the company's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 115.5% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 4,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,582,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded up $1.93 on Friday, reaching $72.44. The company had a trading volume of 5,374,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,155,152. The business's 50-day moving average is $72.00 and its 200 day moving average is $70.04. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on AZN shares. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.