Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 752,814 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,622 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for approximately 2.7% of Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $57,756,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter worth about $239,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 20.9% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 40,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,800,000 after purchasing an additional 6,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 37.7% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 23,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after buying an additional 6,424 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN stock traded down $1.60 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $207.02. 138,112 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,887,390. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $122.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.53. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $122.48 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $321.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

AstraZeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 155.0%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.83%.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.