Act Two Investors LLC Lowers Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Act Two Investors LLC reduced its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 58.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 133,396 shares of the company’s stock after selling 187,443 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up 1.7% of Act Two Investors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Act Two Investors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $8,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dymon Asia Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,048,000. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $273,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 188.3% during the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 55,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,609,000 after acquiring an additional 35,977 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 1,624.6% in the fourth quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 1,234,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,867,000 after acquiring an additional 1,162,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, F M Investments LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. F M Investments LLC now owns 22,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,447,000 after acquiring an additional 4,616 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 2.8 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $64.87 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $61.24 and a 1-year high of $87.68. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $73.40 and a 200-day moving average of $70.96. The firm has a market cap of $201.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly 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, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.