AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Acquired by Simmons Bank

Simmons Bank raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 429.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,134 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,765 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the third quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. LWM Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of AZN traded up $0.56 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $76.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,659,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,361,413. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $76.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $236.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.58 and a 200 day moving average of $66.42.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 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 analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.