AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Fmr LLC

FMR LLC decreased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,311,517 shares of the company's stock after selling 805,930 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned approximately 0.72% of AstraZeneca worth $1,461,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $588,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 138.0% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 26,755 shares of the company's stock worth $2,084,000 after acquiring an additional 15,515 shares in the last quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 19.2% in the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,802 shares of the company's stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 1,579 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 3,384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 53.9% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 158,329 shares of the company's stock worth $12,335,000 after purchasing an additional 55,473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded up $1.42 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $66.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,761,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,262,431. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.88. The firm has a market cap of $205.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

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.