Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Stock Holdings Lessened by Nicholas Company Inc.

Key Points

• Nicholas Company Inc. cut its AstraZeneca stake by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 44,150 shares and leaving it with 1,083,854 shares worth about $190.2 million. AstraZeneca remains its fifth-largest position and makes up 3.3% of the fund’s holdings.
• Wall Street sentiment appears mostly positive, with several firms issuing or reiterating buy ratings. The stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $205.33.
• AstraZeneca reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.58 versus the $2.52 estimate and revenue of $15.29 billion versus $14.93 billion expected. The company also recently paid a dividend, and analysts expect full-year EPS of 10.26.

Nicholas Company Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,083,854 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,150 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises about 3.3% of Nicholas Company Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Nicholas Company Inc.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $190,216,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company's stock worth $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 11,398 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,595,000 after buying an additional 181,273 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,113,000 after buying an additional 35,148 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,298,000 after buying an additional 7,289 shares during the period. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 96.2% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,953,000 after buying an additional 38,043 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy (b)" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $182.71 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $283.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.26. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $194.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.13. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $132.32 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%. Equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.17%.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AZN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.