AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $95.75.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Binnacle Investments Inc grew its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 3,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.7% during the third quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 30.6% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 32.0% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $91.36 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $87.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.84. AstraZeneca has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $94.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $283.35 billion, a PE ratio of 30.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.32.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.89% and a net margin of 16.17%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.08 EPS. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.