Franklin Resources Inc. Has $1.28 Billion Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,480,569 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 357,894 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,276,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.3 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $73.79 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $228.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $73.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.61. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.

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.