Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp reduced its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,015 shares of the company's stock after selling 47,590 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $6,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake 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 during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.
AstraZeneca Price Performance
Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $1.42 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. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $205.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.33, 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $73.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.88.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.
AstraZeneca Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a $1.03 dividend. 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 was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.15%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.
Read Our Latest Report on AZN
AstraZeneca Company Profile
(
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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