Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. trimmed its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,837 shares of the company’s stock after selling 474 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 375.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. LWM Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $75.76 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $234.89 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $68.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $76.80.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.965 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 94.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca 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.