Stifel Financial Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,249,432 shares of the company's stock after selling 99,472 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $81,863,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $845,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Veery Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,350 shares of the company's stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 35,300 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,313,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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 research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $67.87 on Wednesday. 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 market capitalization of $210.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $72.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.37.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business 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 is a boost from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio 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.

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