AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) to Issue Semi-annual Dividend of $1.03 on March 24th

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) announced a semi-annual dividend on Thursday, February 6th,Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of 1.03 per share on Monday, March 24th. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49.

AstraZeneca has increased its dividend payment by an average of 2.0% annually over the last three years. AstraZeneca has a dividend payout ratio of 41.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect AstraZeneca to earn $5.00 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.10 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 42.0%.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.80 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $68.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.29. AstraZeneca has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research 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 research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.