Altrius Capital Management Inc Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Altrius Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,153 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,363 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca makes up approximately 2.0% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Martin Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after acquiring an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 1,949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after buying an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.2 %

AZN opened at $75.65 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $69.53 and its 200-day moving average is $73.11. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $234.60 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

AstraZeneca 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.