AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,824,072 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,048,738 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $370,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 41,200,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,879,062,000 after buying an additional 538,606 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after acquiring an additional 196,401 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,695,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,446,235,000 after acquiring an additional 530,520 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,734,000 after purchasing an additional 104,625 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $208.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $323.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $119.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $122.48 and a one year high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 165.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.83%.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.