Benjamin Edwards Inc. Trims Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. trimmed its stake in AstraZeneca by 9.5% in Q4, selling 6,208 shares and leaving 59,364 shares worth about $5.457 million.
• Other institutions rather increased exposure — including Brighton Jones (+93.2% to 5,782 shares), AQR (+45.3% to 37,501), Amundi (+54.4% to 10,274) and Jump Financial (+898.4% to 33,478) — with hedge funds/institutions owning 20.35% of the stock.
• AstraZeneca beat Q1 estimates (EPS $2.58 vs $2.52; revenue $15.29B vs $14.93B) and carries an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $205.33.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. decreased its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,364 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,208 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $5,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock worth $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock worth $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock worth $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $183.27 on Tuesday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $196.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $180.36. 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 Plc has a 12 month low of $132.32 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $284.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $205.33.

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.

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