Ieq Capital LLC Has $2.56 Million Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Ieq Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,040 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,339 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $2,558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 133,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,717,000 after buying an additional 9,124 shares in the last quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors now owns 227,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,924,000 after acquiring an additional 2,096 shares during the last quarter. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. now owns 197,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,941,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $173,000. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 50,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,278,000 after purchasing an additional 6,970 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AZN stock opened at $74.20 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.76 and a 200-day moving average of $73.22. The firm has a market cap of $230.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.83, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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