Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 3,278,147 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Voya Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 65.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,763,310 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,278,147 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of AstraZeneca worth $115,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company's stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company's stock worth $9,433,000 after buying an additional 7,341 shares during the period. Finally, Asio Capital LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,508,000 after buying an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:AZN traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $69.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,018,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,186,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $216.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The business's 50-day moving average is $72.33 and its 200-day moving average is $70.16.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Equities research analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.