AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $95.75.

A number of analysts have commented on AZN shares. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its position in AstraZeneca by 40.5% in the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 444,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,131,000 after buying an additional 128,256 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 16,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,239,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth $1,650,000. Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 9.1% during the third quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 25,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,953,000 after purchasing an additional 2,132 shares during the period. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.2% during the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 7,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $91.56 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $94.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.97 billion, a PE ratio of 30.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $87.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.08 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

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.