Blair William & Co. IL Sells 7,532 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Blair William & Co. IL lessened its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 227,915 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,532 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $14,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $73.79 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $73.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.74. The company has a market cap of $228.84 billion, a PE ratio of 32.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.