Short Interest in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Expands By 65.6%

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,533,640 shares, a growth of 65.6% from the June 30th total of 1,530,055 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,192,074 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock traded down $1.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $169.77. 1,669,946 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,808,385. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Astrazeneca has a 52 week low of $145.79 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $179.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $263.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Astrazeneca will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,601,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,791,051,000 after acquiring an additional 438,709 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,537,684,000 after purchasing an additional 445,014 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 13,878,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,435,716,000 after purchasing an additional 432,939 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 889.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.