Smithfield Trust Co Trims Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Smithfield Trust Co lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,148 shares of the company’s stock after selling 471 shares during the quarter. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $271,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,806,000 after buying an additional 35,000 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.0% during the third quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 728,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,733,000 after buying an additional 21,514 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 39.6% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 3,597 shares during the period. D.B. Root & Company LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.0% in the third quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 8,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% in the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 360,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,072,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $77.96 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $70.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.84. 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 $241.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.