Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $211.00.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.9%

AZN opened at $189.41 on Friday. Astrazeneca has a fifty-two week low of $137.23 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $293.76 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company’s 50-day moving average is $184.14 and its 200 day moving average is $188.61.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Astrazeneca will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.