Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Newly Purchased by Ninety One North America Inc.

Key Points

• Ninety One North America acquired 64,169 AstraZeneca shares worth approximately $10.5 million during the third quarter. Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, with institutions collectively owning 20.35% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive: 15 rate AZN a Buy and four rate it a Hold, resulting in a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $206.67.
• AstraZeneca shares rose 3.5% to $167.71, while the company’s latest quarterly results exceeded EPS expectations and revenue increased 6.4% year over year. Investors are also watching its AI drug-discovery partnership with Insitro and upcoming lung-cancer trial updates.

Ninety One North America Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 64,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,468,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZN. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.8% during the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 422,910 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,287,000 after purchasing an additional 26,932 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,697 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 16,262 shares of the company's stock worth $2,648,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,436 shares of the company's stock worth $6,045,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management increased its position in Astrazeneca by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 252 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:AZN traded up $5.68 during trading on Thursday, reaching $167.71. 2,767,972 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,802,852. The stock has a market cap of $260.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $161.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.37. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $153.41 and a 52-week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI drug-discovery partnership: AstraZeneca agreed to work with Insitro on therapies for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cardiometabolic disease. The deal includes approximately $40 million in upfront payments and could be worth up to $1.5 billion through development, regulatory and commercial milestones. The agreement gives AstraZeneca access to Insitro’s machine-learning capabilities and potential new candidates, supporting the company’s longer-term pipeline strategy. AstraZeneca Strikes Up to $1.5 Billion AI Drug Discovery Deal With Insitro
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive RBC outlook: RBC Capital Markets reiterated its “outperform” rating and 14,500-pence price target. The bank expects third-quarter revenue of $16.3 billion and core EPS of $2.61, both modestly ahead of consensus, while investors await results on October 30 and updates on the AVANZAR lung-cancer trial. RBC keeps AstraZeneca at outperform ahead of AVANZAR lung cancer trial
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity surged: Investors bought nearly 49,737 call options, roughly 15 times typical daily call volume. This indicates heightened bullish speculation, but options activity alone does not confirm sustained buying or a fundamental change in valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed rating signal: Zacks Research upgraded AstraZeneca from “strong sell” to “hold,” reducing a negative ratings overhang but stopping short of a bullish recommendation. Zacks rating update

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company's principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.