Aspiriant LLC Purchases Shares of 2,567 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Aspiriant LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 2,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 11,398 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,595,000 after buying an additional 181,273 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after buying an additional 35,148 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after buying an additional 7,289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 96.2% during the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,953,000 after acquiring an additional 38,043 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $203.32 on Monday. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $122.48 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $315.33 billion, a PE ratio of 31.04, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

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

About Astrazeneca

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.