1,227,801 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Sold by Ninety One UK Ltd

Ninety One UK Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 80.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 290,212 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,227,801 shares during the quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $47,343,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Amundi boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 16,422,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,114,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,635 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 889.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Astrazeneca by 546.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,667,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,315,026,000 after purchasing an additional 5,635,812 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of AZN stock traded up $5.38 on Thursday, hitting $167.41. The stock had a trading volume of 2,792,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,802,852. The firm has a market capitalization of $259.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $161.96 and its 200-day moving average is $176.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52-week low of $153.41 and a 52-week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Nordea Equity Research raised Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

About Astrazeneca

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.