AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Parallel Advisors LLC

Parallel Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 28.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,924 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,072 shares during the quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $978,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of AZN stock opened at $76.32 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.47 and a 200 day moving average of $72.16. 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 cap of $236.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 32.23%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AZN. UBS Group upgraded 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 note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus 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.