Pictet North America Advisors SA Has $8.54 Million Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Pictet North America Advisors SA cut its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,910 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,412 shares during the quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $8,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZN. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $297,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 25,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,314,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 89.1% during the fourth quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC now owns 47,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,401,000 after buying an additional 22,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 4J Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $233,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $200.98 on Thursday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $122.48 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $311.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.