AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Position Cut by Physician Wealth Advisors Inc.

Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,194 shares of the company’s stock after selling 875 shares during the quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $144,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $73.79 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $73.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.61. 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 twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $228.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on AZN. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

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.