AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $88.00.

A number of brokerages recently commented on AZN. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Argus raised their price target on AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 113.0% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 95,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,444,000 after buying an additional 50,750 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 43.7% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 163,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,979,000 after acquiring an additional 49,541 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 154,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,433,000 after purchasing an additional 15,642 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 281.2% in the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 2,779,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,180,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,395,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $77.94 on Friday. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $80.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.07. The firm has a market cap of $241.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.21, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.08. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.30% and a return on equity of 30.42%. The company had revenue of $12.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.92 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.04 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company's marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.