Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and twelve 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 $205.3333.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth $38,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 1.9%

NYSE AZN opened at $178.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $277.28 billion, a PE ratio of 26.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca has a fifty-two week low of $137.23 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $189.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca will post 9.39 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.