AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Legacy Financial Advisors Inc.

Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. cut its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,278 shares of the company’s stock after selling 177 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $539,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 28.7% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,620,000 after acquiring an additional 5,362 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 48.5% in the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,809 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 155.5% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 36,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,449,000 after purchasing an additional 22,137 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $76.35. The company had a trading volume of 9,026,349 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,666,863. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.72 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $76.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $68.38 and its 200-day moving average is $66.36.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.