AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by TRUE Private Wealth Advisors

TRUE Private Wealth Advisors reduced its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 15.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,049 shares of the company’s stock after selling 570 shares during the quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $68.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $211.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $60.47 and a fifty-two week high of $76.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $66.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.87.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.52%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.