Channel Wealth LLC Sells 10,555 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Channel Wealth LLC cut its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 47,953 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,555 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca accounts for about 2.1% of Channel Wealth LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Channel Wealth LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $8,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,604,000 after purchasing an additional 466,745 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 9.4% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $521,517,000 after purchasing an additional 582,183 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,707,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $438,342,000 after acquiring an additional 660,569 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.1%

AZN opened at $182.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $283.37 billion, a PE ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a 50 day moving average of $194.66 and a 200-day moving average of $180.88. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.17%.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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.