AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Stock Has Average Price Target of $206.67

Shares of AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $206.67.

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Nordea Equity Research upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $186.74 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $289.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.26. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $153.41 and a 12-month high of $212.71.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.19. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 17.68% and a return on equity of 31.85%. The firm had revenue of $16.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.38 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Amundi increased its position in AstraZeneca by 146,574.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 889.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% during the 1st quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after purchasing an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 208.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,202,714,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries. AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.