Act Two Investors LLC reduced its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 58.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 133,396 shares of the company's stock after selling 187,443 shares during the period. AstraZeneca comprises approximately 1.7% of Act Two Investors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Act Two Investors LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $8,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,480,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,276,367,000 after buying an additional 357,894 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,011,037,000 after buying an additional 466,416 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,959,852 shares of the company's stock worth $718,090,000 after purchasing an additional 479,692 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company's stock worth $245,407,000 after acquiring an additional 564,297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock worth $243,444,000 after buying an additional 3,670,719 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
AstraZeneca Price Performance
Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $1.72 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $68.01. 5,939,845 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,249,754. The business has a 50-day moving average of $73.35 and a 200 day moving average of $70.83. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.91 billion, a PE ratio of 30.09, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders 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 was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 91.15%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on AZN
AstraZeneca Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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