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

Rathbones Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 106,772.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca accounts for about 6.2% of Rathbones Group PLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 0.52% of Astrazeneca worth $1,560,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $169.77 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $145.79 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research 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.