Thornburg Investment Management Inc. Sells 24,703 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Thornburg Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 510,947 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,703 shares during the period. Thornburg Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $39,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.3% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 41,200,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,879,062,000 after buying an additional 538,606 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,298,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,488,332,000 after acquiring an additional 196,401 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 20,695,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,446,235,000 after acquiring an additional 530,520 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 15.2% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,167,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $850,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605,133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.1% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,046,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,734,000 after purchasing an additional 104,625 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ AZN opened at $206.22 on Thursday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $122.48 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $319.82 billion, a PE ratio of 68.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $1.595 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.