Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Stock Holdings Lowered by Cidel Asset Management Inc.

Cidel Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 562,431 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35,878 shares during the period. Astrazeneca comprises approximately 3.7% of Cidel Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Cidel Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $51,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after buying an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,604,000 after acquiring an additional 466,745 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $521,517,000 after purchasing an additional 582,183 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,232,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 13.1% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,707,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,342,000 after purchasing an additional 660,569 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $203.32 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $315.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.35. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $122.48 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $1.595 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is currently 66.26%.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.