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

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned 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 a report on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

Several brokerages have recently commented on AZN. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $70.08 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $217.32 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $66.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.14.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Martin Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after acquiring an additional 7,615 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter valued at about $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after buying an additional 13,860 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AstraZeneca

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.