Lake Street Advisors Group LLC Decreases Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,484 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,191 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $621,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Martin Investment Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after buying an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $75.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $234.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $69.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.11.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS 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 32.23%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm 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 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. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

About AstraZeneca

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.