Syon Capital LLC Raises Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Syon Capital LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,965 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,954 shares during the quarter. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the third quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. LWM Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $3.83 during trading on Thursday, reaching $75.03. 15,454,462 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,258,279. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $75.81. The stock has a market cap of $232.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.08, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.95.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.965 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.00.

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.