Callan Capital LLC Grows Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Callan Capital LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,831 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,590 shares during the period. Callan Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 61,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,167,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $75.17. 6,687,806 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,265,456. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $233.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.15, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.07. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $75.81.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 EPS for the current 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 represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 100.52%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.