AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,940,000 shares, an increase of 12.2% from the January 15th total of 15,100,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,050,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company's stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company's stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN traded down $0.99 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,068,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,340,727. The company has a market cap of $228.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $62.75 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $68.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $89.75.

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.