Renaissance Technologies LLC trimmed its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 93.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,370 shares of the company's stock after selling 284,538 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $312,000. Shelton Capital Management raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 72,181 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,729,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 207,860 shares of the company's stock worth $14,871,000 after purchasing an additional 8,435 shares during the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $1,006,000. Finally, Springhill Fund Asset Management HK Co Ltd bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,012,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.00.
Get Our Latest Research Report on AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.5 %
AstraZeneca stock opened at $69.93 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $72.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.10. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (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 expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.
About AstraZeneca
(
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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