Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. Invests $55,000 in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $72.66 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $225.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.56. 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 earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.36%.

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.