AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV

Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV cut its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 15,340 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts 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 AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $74.56 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $68.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.30. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.99, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its 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 32.23%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.15%.

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.