Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $85.00.
Separately, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company.
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AstraZeneca Stock Performance
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.14% and a return on equity of 33.14%. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.06 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,457,706,000 after purchasing an additional 686,008 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 189.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after purchasing an additional 15,722,197 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,480,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,276,367,000 after purchasing an additional 357,894 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,186,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $995,032,000 after purchasing an additional 212,301 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 30.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,647,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,003,124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,224,251 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.
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