AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management trimmed its AstraZeneca (AZN) stake by 2.9% in Q3, selling 11,259 shares and leaving it with 374,204 shares valued at $28.71 million.
• AstraZeneca has a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" (nine Buys, one Sell) with an average price target of $95.75, per MarketBeat data.
• The company declared a $1.595 per-share dividend payable March 23 (record date Feb 20), with the report citing a dividend yield of 156.0% and a payout ratio of 66.26%.

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 2.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 374,204 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,259 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $28,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 53.8% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,307 shares of the company's stock valued at $875,000 after buying an additional 3,604 shares during the last quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 12.9% in the third quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 3,582 shares of the company's stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,623,604,000 after acquiring an additional 466,745 shares in the last quarter. Finemark National Bank & Trust bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $218,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,694 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Citigroup initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $194.44 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company's 50-day moving average price is $146.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.62. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $301.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.32.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.26%.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden's Astra AB and the UK's Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca's operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.

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