AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by PDS Planning Inc

PDS Planning Inc reduced its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,174 shares of the company’s stock after selling 161 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $601,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $77.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $72.28 and its 200-day moving average is $72.13.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a boost 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.