AstraZeneca Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:AZN)

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 8,615 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 13% compared to the average volume of 7,609 call options.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.0 %

AstraZeneca stock opened at $71.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $221.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.51, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $78.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $78.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZN shares. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.75.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 17.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 61,271,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,151,177,000 after purchasing an additional 9,002,450 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,365,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $634,525,000 after buying an additional 29,497 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,417,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,565,000 after buying an additional 488,644 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,403,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,458,000 after buying an additional 186,010 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the first quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 2,990,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,588,000 after acquiring an additional 134,784 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

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.