Greenleaf Trust Sells 1,500 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Greenleaf Trust trimmed its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,865,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 939 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 181,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 10,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $674,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 9,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $139,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $68.55 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.88. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $60.47 and a fifty-two week high of $76.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4 EPS for the current 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 $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

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.