Sage Mountain Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 37.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,331 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,570 shares during the quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $75.57 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $234.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $71.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.51.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS 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%. On average, equities research 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 will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is currently 91.15%.

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.