Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Position in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 40.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,090 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $1,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 12,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $844,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 60,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,941,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 708.1% during the fourth quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 85,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,583,000 after buying an additional 74,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nicholas Company Inc. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 1,161,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,069,000 after buying an additional 171,199 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $73.79 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.67. The firm has a market cap of $228.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $62.75 and a 1 year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, 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 declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “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.