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

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $205.3333.

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZN. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $189.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $294.49 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $182.72.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca will post 10.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.