Atria Investments Inc Cuts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Atria Investments Inc reduced its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,688 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,180 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $6,794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 238,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,610,000 after purchasing an additional 11,020 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 53.9% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 404,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,475,000 after purchasing an additional 141,517 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 48,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $1,583,000. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 3,285 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.47 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.61 and a 200-day moving average of $72.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $240.25 billion, a PE ratio of 34.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.