AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in AstraZeneca by 1,614.8% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $67.62 on Monday. AstraZeneca has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $209.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $72.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $77.44.

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

About AstraZeneca

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.