AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Short Interest Update

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of 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 days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 468.4% in the 4th quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 449 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus increased their target price on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.2 %

NASDAQ AZN traded down $0.19 on Friday, reaching $77.99. The company had a trading volume of 3,664,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,364,924. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s fifty day moving average is $77.52 and its 200 day moving average is $70.40. AstraZeneca has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $80.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $12.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.92 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AstraZeneca

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.