Ninety One North America Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN – Free Report) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 64,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,468,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.7% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,114,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,635 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 889.9% in the first 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% in the 1st quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,560,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Astrazeneca by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 6,690,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,252,044,000 after purchasing an additional 160,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.
Astrazeneca Stock Performance
Shares of AZN stock traded up $5.68 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $167.71. 2,767,972 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,802,852. The company has a market cap of $260.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.27. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12-month low of $153.41 and a 12-month high of $212.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $161.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67.
Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Trending Headlines about Astrazeneca
Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AI drug-discovery partnership: AstraZeneca agreed to work with Insitro on therapies for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cardiometabolic disease. The deal includes approximately $40 million in upfront payments and could be worth up to $1.5 billion through development, regulatory and commercial milestones. The agreement gives AstraZeneca access to Insitro’s machine-learning capabilities and potential new candidates, supporting the company’s longer-term pipeline strategy. AstraZeneca Strikes Up to $1.5 Billion AI Drug Discovery Deal With Insitro
- Positive Sentiment: Supportive RBC outlook: RBC Capital Markets reiterated its “outperform” rating and 14,500-pence price target. The bank expects third-quarter revenue of $16.3 billion and core EPS of $2.61, both modestly ahead of consensus, while investors await results on October 30 and updates on the AVANZAR lung-cancer trial. RBC keeps AstraZeneca at outperform ahead of AVANZAR lung cancer trial
- Neutral Sentiment: Options activity surged: Investors bought nearly 49,737 call options, roughly 15 times typical daily call volume. This indicates heightened bullish speculation, but options activity alone does not confirm sustained buying or a fundamental change in valuation.
- Neutral Sentiment: Mixed rating signal: Zacks Research upgraded AstraZeneca from “strong sell” to “hold,” reducing a negative ratings overhang but stopping short of a bullish recommendation. Zacks rating update
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. CICC Research started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Sunday, August 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $198.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.67.
Get Our Latest Analysis on AZN
Astrazeneca Profile
AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.
The company’s principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.
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