Hilton Capital Management LLC Sells 20,175 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Hilton Capital Management LLC reduced its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 155,317 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,175 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $10,176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN opened at $76.51 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $237.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $71.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

AstraZeneca 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.