AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Short Interest Update

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZNGet Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,690,000 shares, a growth of 26.1% from the December 15th total of 10,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

Get Our Latest Analysis on AstraZeneca

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Martin Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after acquiring an additional 7,615 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $754,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,510,000 after buying an additional 16,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 8.2% during the third quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 2,652,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,677,000 after buying an additional 201,233 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.5 %

AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.60. The stock had a trading volume of 5,419,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,140,949. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.49. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZNGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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