Sierra Ocean LLC Buys Shares of 915 AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in 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 during the period. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $73.58 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $228.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.56, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.77 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.36%.

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.