AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Short Interest Update

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,930,000 shares, a growth of 18.9% from the May 31st total of 6,670,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,920,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZN. Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $77.99 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $241.81 billion, a PE ratio of 38.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.70. AstraZeneca has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $80.86. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $77.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.43.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.42% and a net margin of 13.30%. The company had revenue of $12.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.92 billion. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 468.4% in the fourth quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.