AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Position Lessened by Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lowered its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 43.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,794 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,504 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on AZN. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $72.66 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $225.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 is currently 43.36%.

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.