Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Has $2.67 Million Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 149.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,740 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,378 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company's stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,350 shares of the company's stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,313,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $69.57. The company had a trading volume of 6,662,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,175,220. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. 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 stock has a market cap of $215.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.16.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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