AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 113.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,677 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 50,750 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $6,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $68.27. 5,361,865 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,234,321. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company 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. This represents a yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, December 18th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.