Two Sigma Securities LLC Has $208,000 Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Two Sigma Securities LLC cut its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 98.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,167 shares of the company's stock after selling 167,048 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.47 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $71.62. 837,152 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,114,745. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market cap of $222.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $71.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.88. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is presently 82.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca 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.