ICW Investment Advisors LLC Invests $262,000 in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

ICW Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th 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 boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.1 %

AZN opened at $74.93 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $232.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.91.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.