AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 21.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,116 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,812 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 12,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 60,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,941,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its position in AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP grew its position in AstraZeneca by 708.1% during the 4th quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 85,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,583,000 after purchasing an additional 74,666 shares during the period. Finally, Nicholas Company Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 1,161,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,069,000 after purchasing an additional 171,199 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.1 %

AZN stock opened at $74.93 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $72.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.10. 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 firm has a market cap of $232.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.15%.

About AstraZeneca

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.