Saturna Capital Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Saturna Capital Corp reduced its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,637,345 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,507 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for about 1.5% of Saturna Capital Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Saturna Capital Corp owned approximately 0.05% of AstraZeneca worth $107,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.24 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $71.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.49. The firm has a market cap of $230.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.85, a PEG 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 one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders 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 positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 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.