Venturi Wealth Management LLC Has $1.60 Million Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 24,396 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Martin Investment Management LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after buying an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 46.6% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 13,860 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $74.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $231.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.10, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.29. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. Analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 43.36%.

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.