AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Buy" by the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 692 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN traded up $1.36 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.96. The stock had a trading volume of 5,457,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,984,386. AstraZeneca has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $66.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.39. The company has a market capitalization of $210.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.46.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 company had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. AstraZeneca's revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.