James Investment Research Inc. Lowers Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

James Investment Research Inc. lowered its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,235 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,853 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $4,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 109.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company's stock worth $238,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605,758 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company's stock worth $1,492,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522,715 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth about $72,437,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company's stock worth $245,407,000 after purchasing an additional 564,297 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,480,160 shares of the company's stock worth $816,509,000 after purchasing an additional 524,175 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $73.77. The company had a trading volume of 2,880,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,270,615. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $68.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.29. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $228.76 billion, a PE ratio of 32.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.