AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Bought by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 133,043 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $8,717,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $75.40 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. 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 stock has a market cap of $233.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $69.09 and a 200-day moving average of $73.08.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.