SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Buys 947 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,934 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 947 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 39,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,630,000 after purchasing an additional 2,274 shares during the period. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 41.3% during the 4th quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. now owns 23,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 6,948 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 310.6% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 21,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 15,970 shares during the last quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 36,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,489,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth $217,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $67.75. 3,617,002 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,335,116. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. AstraZeneca PLC has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $76.56. The company has a market cap of $210.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $65.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.80.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.965 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 100.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Monday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.