Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Cuts Stock Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB cut its stake in AstraZeneca by 14.1% in Q3, selling 10,895 shares and leaving it with 66,237 shares worth about $5.08 million.
• AstraZeneca announced a dividend of $1.595 per share payable on March 23 to holders of record on February 20 (ex-dividend date February 20), with the article citing a yield of 156.0% and a payout ratio of 66.26%.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” on AZN, with nine Buys and one Sell and a reported consensus price target of $95.75.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lessened its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 14.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,237 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,895 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $5,082,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 505,055 shares of the company's stock worth $35,293,000 after acquiring an additional 14,025 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 123.6% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 5,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 3.4% in the second quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $873,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:AZN opened at $188.42 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $292.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.77, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.75.

About Astrazeneca

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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