AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors

Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors cut its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,466 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,115 shares during the period. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its position in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the fourth 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. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.47 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $240.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.28, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $70.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.