Ritholtz Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,047 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,274 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $67.75. 3,617,002 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,335,116. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $76.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $65.63 and its 200 day moving average is $65.80. The company has a market cap of $210.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 100.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. HSBC started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Company 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.