Hsbc Holdings PLC Reduces Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 93.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 112,749 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,702,389 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $7,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. SIH Partners LLLP purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $783,000. Fayez Sarofim & Co raised its position in AstraZeneca by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,643,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,690,000 after purchasing an additional 198,977 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 32,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 4,485 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in AstraZeneca by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 15,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 3,302 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 149.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 40,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,669,000 after purchasing an additional 24,378 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on AZN. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.5 %

AZN opened at $69.93 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12 month low of $61.24 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $72.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.10.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

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.