AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

AZN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Barclays raised AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $77.35 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $81.36 and a 200 day moving average of $77.83. AstraZeneca has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.01. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 29.34% and a net margin of 13.11%. The firm had revenue of $12.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 47.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Able Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1,614.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.