Checchi Capital Advisers LLC Sells 356 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC decreased its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 20,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 356 shares during the quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Martin Investment Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,571,000 after acquiring an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 13,860 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $75.52 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $234.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.09. 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 fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.15%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.