Astrazeneca’s (AZN) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated their buy rating on shares of Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) in a research report report published on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on AZN. Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Astrazeneca stock opened at $184.90 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $192.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.79. Astrazeneca has a twelve month low of $134.13 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $286.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 166.2% during the 1st quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.