AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,340,000 shares, a growth of 52.3% from the April 30th total of 4,820,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,990,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AZN
AstraZeneca Price Performance
Shares of AZN traded up $1.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.82. 8,033,731 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,195,668. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.38 and a 200 day moving average of $69.70. AstraZeneca has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $225.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.06 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 93.2% in the 4th 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. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 13,007 shares of the company's stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Caprock Group LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 27,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,817,000 after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,690 shares of the company's stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.
About AstraZeneca
(
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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