AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 272,094 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,628 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $18,326,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $68.73. The stock had a trading volume of 9,213,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,232,172. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.56. The stock has a market cap of $213.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $65.96 and a 200 day moving average of $65.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 100.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered AstraZeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. HSBC began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, December 18th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.00.

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.