Haverford Trust Co Sells 165 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Haverford Trust Co lowered its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,882 shares of the company’s stock after selling 165 shares during the quarter. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after acquiring an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $73.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $226.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.32, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca PLC has a fifty-two week low of $62.75 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $73.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.77.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

About AstraZeneca

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.