AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Lindbrook Capital LLC

Lindbrook Capital LLC reduced its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,433 shares of the company’s stock after selling 456 shares during the quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $158,018,000. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 109.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,071,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,397,000 after buying an additional 1,605,758 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 8.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,492,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,522,715 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $72,437,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 6,835.8% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 708,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,389,000 after acquiring an additional 697,801 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of AZN stock opened at $77.47 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $240.25 billion, a PE ratio of 34.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.88.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.