Dillon & Associates Inc. Trims Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Dillon & Associates Inc. trimmed its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 30,272 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,578 shares during the period. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZN. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZN. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.93 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $232.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $72.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.91. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.