Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 7,342 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lowered its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 147,240 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,342 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $11,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 45.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 130.0% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 805 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.9% during the second quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 10,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. Finally, Holistic Financial Partners boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 43.1% in the second quarter. Holistic Financial Partners now owns 4,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 1,256 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $201.52 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $312.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.95, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $122.48 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $140.35 and a 200 day moving average of $104.11.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 74.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.