5,179 Shares in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Purchased by Central Pacific Bank Trust Division

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 5,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $982,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,601,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,791,051,000 after acquiring an additional 438,709 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,537,684,000 after purchasing an additional 445,014 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 13,878,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,435,716,000 after purchasing an additional 432,939 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 889.9% during 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AZN shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. HSBC downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.00.

Trending Headlines about Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A senior source told Reuters that AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb are not discussing a transaction, effectively quashing the merger rumor. Investors appear to view the clarification favorably because it removes uncertainty surrounding deal financing, valuation and integration risks. Reuters report on AstraZeneca-Bristol Myers deal discussions
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca rebounded after the reports denied Bristol Myers takeover speculation. The shares had suffered a roughly 9% single-day selloff when the merger story first emerged, making the subsequent recovery a relief rally as investors reassessed the company’s standalone prospects. AZN rebound after merger denial
• Positive Sentiment: Traders purchased a high volume of AstraZeneca call options, indicating increased speculative interest and expectations for additional near-term gains or volatility following the merger-related selloff. AstraZeneca call option activity
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca also entered a multi-year collaboration with SOPHiA GENETICS to develop companion diagnostics for two precision-oncology therapy programs. The agreement supports the company’s targeted-cancer strategy, although its immediate financial impact is unclear. SOPHiA GENETICS collaboration announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain divided on the strategic implications of the abandoned merger speculation. Citi said much of the deal-related risk was already reflected in AstraZeneca’s valuation, while other analysts compared the potential transaction with AstraZeneca’s earlier Alexion acquisition.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of AstraZeneca investors. Such investor-alert announcements can add reputational and legal overhang, though no wrongdoing has been established. Pomerantz AstraZeneca investor alert

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $161.41 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $177.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $187.40. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $145.79 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $250.34 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.