Sei Investments Co. Reduces Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Sei Investments Co. lowered its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 762,945 shares of the company’s stock after selling 144,188 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $49,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Markets Corp lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Veery Capital LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.9% during the third quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.1 %

AZN opened at $74.93 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $232.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.16, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.91.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This is a positive change 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 payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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