Wedbush Securities Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 29.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,192 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 111.6% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after buying an additional 35,148 shares in the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 96.2% in the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,953,000 after acquiring an additional 38,043 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 10.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 191,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,156,000 after acquiring an additional 17,548 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in AstraZeneca by 61.1% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 316,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,299,000 after acquiring an additional 120,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 50.6% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 41,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,067,000 after acquiring an additional 13,964 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $205.47 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $112.72 and a 200 day moving average of $92.95. The stock has a market cap of $318.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.26, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $122.48 and a 52-week high of $206.71.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 165.0%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.