Fisher Asset Management LLC Buys 466,745 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 466,745 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,623,604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 41,200,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,879,062,000 after buying an additional 538,606 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.9% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after acquiring an additional 196,401 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,734,000 after acquiring an additional 104,625 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 27.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,824,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 7.0% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 4,364,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,841,000 after purchasing an additional 286,904 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $208.72 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $323.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.34, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $135.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $122.48 and a 52-week high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.83%.

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.