AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Holdings Reduced by Transcend Capital Advisors LLC

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,620 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,397 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,806,000 after purchasing an additional 35,000 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 268.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 60,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,723,000 after acquiring an additional 44,189 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 7,331.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 283,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,000,000 after purchasing an additional 279,844 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 1.0 %

AZN opened at $74.56 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $68.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.30. The company has a market capitalization of $231.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a boost 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 is 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.