AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Lifted to “Hold” at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

AZN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an overweight rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut AstraZeneca from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, December 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $68.55 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.53 billion, a PE ratio of 35.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.88. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other 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.