VectorGlobal IAG Inc. Invests $822,000 in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

VectorGlobal IAG Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $822,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares 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 buying an additional 438,709 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,537,684,000 after acquiring an additional 445,014 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after acquiring an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 13,878,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,435,716,000 after acquiring an additional 432,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after acquiring an additional 10,742,268 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $169.77 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $145.79 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $187.83.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.17 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A combination with Bristol Myers Squibb could create a pharmaceutical company valued at approximately $400 billion, potentially ranking among the world’s largest drugmakers and providing greater scale, a broader product portfolio and possible cost synergies. AstraZeneca in talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on $400 billion megadeal
• Neutral Sentiment: The Financial Times reports that the companies have explored a deal in recent months, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions may not result in a transaction, leaving the timing, structure and valuation uncertain. AstraZeneca holds talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on potential megadeal
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appear concerned that AstraZeneca could need to pay a substantial premium, assume additional debt or issue shares to fund such a large transaction. Regulatory scrutiny, integration challenges and execution risks could also weigh on the stock. Reports indicated a potential one-day decline of about 7%, which would be the company’s steepest since the 2024 U.S. presidential election. AstraZeneca shares drop after report on merger talks
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, AstraZeneca has seen a significant increase in short interest, indicating greater bearish positioning and potentially adding pressure to the shares. AstraZeneca sees significant increase in short interest

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.