AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Short Interest Update

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,940,007 shares, a growth of 31.5% from the December 15th total of 8,318,927 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,845,817 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 3,845,817 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ AZN traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $94.39. 55,049,700 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,768,815. The company has a market cap of $292.78 billion, a PE ratio of 31.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. AstraZeneca has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $96.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.83.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.89% and a net margin of 16.17%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 149.3% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.