AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $89.75.

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 3,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the second quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 5,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $65.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.52, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. AstraZeneca has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.15 and a 200-day moving average of $75.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) 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 return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal 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.