AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 299,402 shares of the company's stock after selling 60,910 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $19,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $74.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,614,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,231,667. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.76 and a 200 day moving average of $73.26. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $230.10 billion, a PE ratio of 32.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.

About AstraZeneca

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.