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

Shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $211.00.

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A number of brokerages recently commented on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AZN

Astrazeneca Stock Up 0.9%

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Shares of NYSE:AZN opened at $166.00 on Friday. Astrazeneca has a 1 year low of $145.79 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $257.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock's 50-day moving average is $172.32 and its 200 day moving average is $185.39.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The business's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca will post 10.21 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

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A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Amundi boosted its stake in Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company's stock worth $3,034,456,000 after acquiring an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 889.9% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 208.6% during the first 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 last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,202,714,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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