Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forester Capital Management LTD boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca PLC by 68.4% in the first quarter. Forester Capital Management LTD now owns 3,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca PLC by 6.1% in the second quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 4,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. NEXT Financial Group Inc increased its position in Astrazeneca PLC by 8.8% in the second quarter. NEXT Financial Group Inc now owns 6,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $190,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Fruth Investment Management increased its position in Astrazeneca PLC by 3.4% in the second quarter. Fruth Investment Management now owns 7,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Bank N.A. Trust Division increased its position in Astrazeneca PLC by 7.3% in the second quarter. First Financial Bank N.A. Trust Division now owns 7,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the period.
Several other research firms also recently commented on AZN. Citigroup Inc. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research note on Saturday, June 25th. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research note on Wednesday, July 20th. Argus assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research note on Tuesday, July 12th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank AG reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research note on Tuesday, June 7th. Finally, Bank of America Corp. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research note on Tuesday, May 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.88.
Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 28th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.07. The business earned $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca PLC will post $2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
AstraZeneca PLC (AstraZeneca) is a biopharmaceutical company. The Company focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in various therapy areas, including respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune disease (RIA), cardiovascular and metabolic disease (CVMD) and oncology, as well as in infection, neuroscience and gastrointestinal areas.
