Intrust Bank NA Grows Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Intrust Bank NA grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 14,056 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the quarter. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $73.79 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $73.55 and its 200 day moving average is $71.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. 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 (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.