Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Montecito Bank & Trust

Montecito Bank & Trust trimmed its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 20.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,983 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,294 shares during the quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,194,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 505,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,293,000 after acquiring an additional 14,025 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 123.6% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $721,000 after acquiring an additional 5,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 12.1% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 22,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,580,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.4%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $184.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $285.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.74, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.32. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is presently 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.