Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Sells 1,491 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. decreased its position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,491 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.9% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 22,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,773,000 after purchasing an additional 1,068 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $76,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 268.9% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 60,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,723,000 after purchasing an additional 44,189 shares during the period. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 49.4% in the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 12,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 4,081 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AstraZeneca stock opened at $77.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $239.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $81.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.35. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The business had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.49 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 48.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

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.