Aurora Investment Counsel Acquires 2,851 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Aurora Investment Counsel lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 36,636 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,851 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for approximately 1.3% of Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $76.51 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $237.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.85, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.