HM Payson & Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

HM Payson & Co. lowered its stake in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 91.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,561 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,953 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $1,382,000. Banco Santander S.A. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 16,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $1,047,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $1,505,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.50 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $240.34 billion, a PE ratio of 34.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1-year low of $62.75 and a 1-year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

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.