Angeles Investment Advisors LLC Sells 442 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Angeles Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,148 shares of the company’s stock after selling 442 shares during the period. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,705,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,806,000 after buying an additional 35,000 shares during the period. Commerce Bank raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 19,413 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 5,022 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 28,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,228,000 after purchasing an additional 1,272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,784,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,010,000 after purchasing an additional 8,830 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AZN. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.93 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $232.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $72.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.91. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

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.