Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Increases Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,336 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 939 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.3 %

AZN stock opened at $68.55 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.53 billion, a PE ratio of 35.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $76.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.00.

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.