AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) is Soros Fund Management LLC's 5th Largest Position

Soros Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 19.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,155,801 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 503,030 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for 3.1% of Soros Fund Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Soros Fund Management LLC owned about 0.10% of AstraZeneca worth $206,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN traded up $1.93 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $72.44. The stock had a trading volume of 5,374,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,155,151. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $224.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50-day moving average is $72.06 and its 200 day moving average is $70.07. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

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.