Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Buys Shares of 57,852 AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 57,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,438,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth $239,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 40,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,800,000 after buying an additional 6,929 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 37.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 23,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after buying an additional 6,424 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.0%

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $208.76 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.53. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $122.48 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $323.77 billion, a PE ratio of 69.36, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 153.0%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.