O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Cuts Stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 179,054 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,430 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $11,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at $211,000. PEAK6 Investments LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. PEAK6 Investments LLC now owns 18,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.7% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 160,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,480,000 after purchasing an additional 2,739 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 349.0% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 59,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,537 shares during the period. Finally, Cinctive Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth about $3,501,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.4 %

AZN opened at $73.50 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $62.75 and a one year high of $87.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $73.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.57.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s 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.