Savant Capital LLC Reduces Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Savant Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,050 shares of the company’s stock after selling 501 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZN. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 10.6% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 105,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,144,000 after acquiring an additional 10,103 shares during the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 34.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 8,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 2,061 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 13,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $938,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 5,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $76.41 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

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.