Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Has $29,000 Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 98.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 449 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35,750 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $29,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Martin Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,571,000 after buying an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after buying an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $73.81 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $62.75 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a market capitalization of $228.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.66, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued 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 an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.36%.

About AstraZeneca

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.