Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. Sells 304 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. reduced its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,350 shares of the company’s stock after selling 304 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $31,192,000. Americana Partners LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 42,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,799,000 after buying an additional 14,309 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $60,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $1,679,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ AZN opened at $73.58 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $228.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.77 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

About AstraZeneca

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.