Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Trims Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. decreased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,458 shares of the company’s stock after selling 378 shares during the period. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 38.4% during the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $73.58 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.77 and a 1-year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.55%. On average, research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.36%.

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.