AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lowered its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 99.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 480,283 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $222,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $238,397,000 after buying an additional 1,605,758 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $72,437,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 6,835.8% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 708,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,389,000 after purchasing an additional 697,801 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $245,407,000 after purchasing an additional 564,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $77.47 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $240.25 billion, a PE ratio of 34.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.88.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 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%. On average, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.