WCM Investment Management LLC Sells 207,929 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

WCM Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,730,533 shares of the company’s stock after selling 207,929 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC owned about 0.12% of AstraZeneca worth $244,611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $71.99 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $223.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $67.46 and a 200 day moving average of $73.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) 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 32.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.36%.

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.