Diversified LLC Decreases Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Diversified LLC cut its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,206 shares of the company’s stock after selling 223 shares during the quarter. Diversified LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 49,492,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,351,653,000 after purchasing an additional 358,399 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 22,946,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,553,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,295 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $715,198,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,242,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,294,000 after purchasing an additional 201,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,274,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,778,000 after purchasing an additional 48,524 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 2.1 %

AstraZeneca stock traded up $1.45 during trading on Monday, hitting $70.00. The company had a trading volume of 2,527,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,110,856. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $217.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 100.52%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.