Opal Wealth Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Opal Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,683 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,233 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,117,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,801,080,000 after acquiring an additional 258,477 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,492,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,715 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,011,037,000 after acquiring an additional 466,416 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,480,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $816,509,000 after acquiring an additional 524,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,407,000 after acquiring an additional 564,297 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN opened at $72.66 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $225.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.15, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.46 and its 200 day moving average is $73.56. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 32.55%. On average, equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 43.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.