Rathbones Group PLC Trims Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Rathbones Group PLC reduced its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 35.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,537 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $693,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,841,000 after buying an additional 2,695,793 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,232,000 after buying an additional 1,807,565 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Astrazeneca by 64.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,662 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461,786 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 750.5% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,628,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437,253 shares during the period. 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 several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE AZN opened at $204.44 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $122.48 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $317.06 billion, a PE ratio of 31.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.26%.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.