Virtu Financial LLC Sells 4,216 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC reduced its stake in AstraZeneca PLC by 41.6% during the first quarter, leaving it with 5,911 shares valued at approximately $434,000.
• Other institutional investors such as Brighton Jones LLC and Geode Capital Management LLC increased their positions in AstraZeneca, indicating a mixed sentiment in the investment community.
• AstraZeneca recently announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.505 per share with an ex-dividend date of August 8th, reflecting a dividend yield of 200%.

Virtu Financial LLC cut its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 41.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,911 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,216 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 33.2% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,807,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,853,000 after purchasing an additional 948,659 shares during the last quarter. JFG Wealth Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. JFG Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,086 shares of the company's stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 31,082 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,285,000 after acquiring an additional 5,807 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $1,565,000. Finally, Morton Community Bank grew its position in AstraZeneca by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Morton Community Bank now owns 44,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,269,000 after acquiring an additional 2,145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2%

AZN stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Monday, hitting $79.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,100,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,306,368. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $245.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.80, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.36.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.84% and a net margin of 14.68%. The business had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.505 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a yield of 200.0%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.97%.

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.