Congress Wealth Management LLC DE Purchases 5,681 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE raised its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 60.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,038 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,681 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $985,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $72.84 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $225.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $73.41 and a 200-day moving average of $71.79.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 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.