Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $95.75.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating for the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $186.90 on Thursday. Astrazeneca has a twelve month low of $122.48 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $289.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.83%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 552.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,547,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,603,000 after buying an additional 4,697,895 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,841,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695,793 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 65.3% in the fourth quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,154,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,080,160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,431,890 shares during the last quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 173.4% in the second quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 3,745,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,232,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.