AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Decreased by Accent Capital Management LLC

Accent Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 241 shares during the period. Accent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $66,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.8% during the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,313,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $73.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $228.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.74.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms 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 started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

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.