Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 624,971 shares of the company's stock after selling 28,656 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca accounts for 1.4% of Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $42,092,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, December 18th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on AZN
AstraZeneca Price Performance
Shares of AZN traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $68.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,121,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,198,971. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.56.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. Analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.52%.
AstraZeneca Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
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 (NASDAQ: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 and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider AstraZeneca, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and AstraZeneca wasn't on the list.
While AstraZeneca currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Need to stretch out your 401K or Roth IRA plan? Use these time-tested investing strategies to grow the monthly retirement income that your stock portfolio generates.
Get This Free Report
