AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

AZN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $67.62 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $209.66 billion, a PE ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.47. AstraZeneca has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.44.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The company had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Martin Investment Management LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after buying an additional 13,860 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 8.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 224,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,510,000 after buying an additional 16,692 shares during the period. Northcape Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the second quarter worth about $269,000. Finally, Optas LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 173.5% during the third quarter. Optas LLC now owns 15,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,213,000 after buying an additional 9,877 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.