Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC Has $5.68 Million Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC cut its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,378 shares of the company’s stock after selling 381 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca accounts for about 0.6% of Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $5,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 61,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,167,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.29 on Wednesday, hitting $76.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 994,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,243,881. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.58. The company’s 50-day moving average is $67.71 and its 200 day moving average is $66.16. The firm has a market cap of $236.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.20, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.00.

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.