Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Bought by Boston Common Asset Management LLC

Boston Common Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 21.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 83,424 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,576 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $7,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,841,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695,793 shares during the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 173.4% during the second quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376,032 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 41.8% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 64.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487,662 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $193.87 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1-year low of $122.48 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $300.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.