Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Sells 1,590 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lowered its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 165,428 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,590 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $10,839,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the 3rd 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. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $75.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $234.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $69.53 and a 200 day moving average of $73.11. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

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.