Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Given “Buy” Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by Jefferies Financial Group in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports.

AZN has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of AZN traded up $0.93 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $182.48. 607,854 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,557,403. The business has a fifty day moving average of $190.70 and a 200-day moving average of $185.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.25. Astrazeneca has a 1-year low of $137.23 and a 1-year high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Analysts expect that Astrazeneca will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,601,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,791,051,000 after acquiring an additional 438,709 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,157,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,537,684,000 after purchasing an additional 445,014 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 13,878,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,435,716,000 after purchasing an additional 432,939 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

About Astrazeneca

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.