AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 93.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 112,749 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,702,389 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $254,018,000. Boston Partners increased its position in AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock worth $243,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $158,018,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,101,025 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,179,000 after buying an additional 1,222,669 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of AZN traded up $1.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.44. 5,374,416 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,174,608. The stock's 50-day moving average is $72.06 and its 200-day moving average is $70.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $224.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.06 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

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.