Bender Robert & Associates Has $1.56 Million Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Bender Robert & Associates trimmed its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 19.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,441 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for approximately 0.4% of Bender Robert & Associates’ holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Bender Robert & Associates’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,561,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 51.8% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 14,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $977,000 after purchasing an additional 4,919 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 113.0% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 95,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,444,000 after buying an additional 50,750 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 317.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,242,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,136,000 after buying an additional 944,765 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 163,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,979,000 after buying an additional 49,541 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $2,241,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $68.36. 3,997,723 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,177,826. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $211.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $66.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.85. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.965 per share. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 100.52%.

AstraZeneca Company 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.