AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Position Lowered by Quotient Wealth Partners LLC

Quotient Wealth Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,024 shares of the company’s stock after selling 763 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AZN. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $71.99 on Monday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $67.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.60. The firm has a market cap of $223.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.85, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.55%. Research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.36%.

About AstraZeneca

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.