Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Has $379,000 Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,628 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,376 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Glenview Trust co raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 4,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $70.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $219.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $66.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.92. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.965 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

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.