Sei Investments Co. Cuts Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Sei Investments Co. cut its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 762,945 shares of the company's stock after selling 144,188 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $49,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research 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. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

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AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2 %

AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $72.84. The company had a trading volume of 4,563,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,954,411. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $225.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $73.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.78. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

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 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend 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 currently 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.