AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 76.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,180 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,990 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 101,225 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2,618.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $72.22 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.54. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $62.75 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The firm has a market cap of $223.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca 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.