Capital International Investors Trims Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Capital International Investors decreased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 20.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,052,520 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,352,463 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,909,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 93.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at about $204,000. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 53,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,738,000 after buying an additional 7,050 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.7% in the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 8,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $195.00 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $148.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $302.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.78, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.32. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $122.48 and a one year high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.26%.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.