AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ AZN opened at $73.81 on Friday. AstraZeneca has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.89 billion, a PE ratio of 32.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.29.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.36%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

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.