AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 33.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,799 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,956 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after acquiring an additional 7,341 shares during the period. Finally, Asio Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after acquiring an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $71.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.11. 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 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $222.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.73, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (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%. 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 was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AZN. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.00.

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.