Wellington Management Group LLP Has $2.48 Billion Stake in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Wellington Management Group LLP lessened its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 5.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,299,561 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,037,720 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,478,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 11,398 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,595,000 after acquiring an additional 181,273 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,113,000 after acquiring an additional 35,148 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank raised its position in Astrazeneca by 20.4% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 96.2% during the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 38,043 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Wall Street Zen cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 1.2%

AZN opened at $190.20 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $294.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 66.26%.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.