AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Short Interest Down 8.3% in November

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,400,000 shares, a decline of 8.3% from the November 15th total of 8,070,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Martin Investment Management LLC boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company's stock worth $22,571,000 after acquiring an additional 7,615 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company's stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 13,860 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in AstraZeneca by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,510,000 after buying an additional 16,692 shares in the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at about $269,000. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 2,652,771 shares of the company's stock worth $206,677,000 after buying an additional 201,233 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

AZN traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $66.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,637,422 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,325,206. The firm has a market cap of $205.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.69, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $69.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.64. AstraZeneca has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current 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.