Intrust Bank NA Has $921,000 Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Intrust Bank NA increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,056 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment grew 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 buying an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $73.79 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $73.55 and a 200-day moving average of $71.67. The company has a market cap of $228.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

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.