Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co Has $393,000 Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,995 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $75.52 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $234.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $69.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.09.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.

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.