Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 891 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC reduced its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 192,433 shares of the company’s stock after selling 891 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $12,608,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.07 on Wednesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.13. The firm has a market cap of $239.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders 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. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.