AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Shares Sold by Level Four Advisory Services LLC

Level Four Advisory Services LLC trimmed its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,074 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,225,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,122,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,492,649,000 after buying an additional 1,522,715 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,011,037,000 after purchasing an additional 466,416 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,959,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $718,090,000 after purchasing an additional 479,692 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 3,745,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,407,000 after purchasing an additional 564,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $73.79 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $73.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.67.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

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.