Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $95.75.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZN. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,076,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Visionary Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Vista Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 21,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,723,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $200.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $311.70 billion, a PE ratio of 30.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.35. Astrazeneca has a 12 month low of $122.48 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is presently 66.26%.

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.