AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by CIBC Asset Management Inc

CIBC Asset Management Inc decreased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 234,616 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,652 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $15,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position 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 lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.36 on Friday, reaching $74.20. The stock had a trading volume of 3,614,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,231,667. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $230.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The firm's fifty day moving average is $68.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. 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.