Rathbones Group PLC Has $1.56 Billion Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Rathbones Group PLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 106,772.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Astrazeneca accounts for 6.2% of Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,560,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,076,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Visionary Wealth Advisors raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $737,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Management lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 21,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,723,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $595,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC boosted its stake in Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $169.77 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $179.02 and its 200-day moving average is $187.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.30 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.26. 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 Plc has a 1 year low of $145.79 and a 1 year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZN. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. HSBC lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

Key Astrazeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A combination with Bristol Myers Squibb could create a pharmaceutical company valued at approximately $400 billion, potentially ranking among the world’s largest drugmakers and providing greater scale, a broader product portfolio and possible cost synergies. AstraZeneca in talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on $400 billion megadeal
• Neutral Sentiment: The Financial Times reports that the companies have explored a deal in recent months, citing people familiar with the matter. The discussions may not result in a transaction, leaving the timing, structure and valuation uncertain. AstraZeneca holds talks with Bristol Myers Squibb on potential megadeal
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appear concerned that AstraZeneca could need to pay a substantial premium, assume additional debt or issue shares to fund such a large transaction. Regulatory scrutiny, integration challenges and execution risks could also weigh on the stock. Reports indicated a potential one-day decline of about 7%, which would be the company’s steepest since the 2024 U.S. presidential election. AstraZeneca shares drop after report on merger talks
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, AstraZeneca has seen a significant increase in short interest, indicating greater bearish positioning and potentially adding pressure to the shares. AstraZeneca sees significant increase in short interest

Astrazeneca Profile

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.