Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $205.3333.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $181.81 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $281.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 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’s 50-day moving average price is $190.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.53.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $478,000. Parallel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $1,719,000. Cozad Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $1,271,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $98,000. Finally, Summitry LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth approximately $297,000. 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.