Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Receives “Sell” Rating from Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)‘s stock had its “sell” rating reiterated by research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE:AZN traded down $4.15 on Tuesday, reaching $186.80. 351,979 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,484,442. The firm has a market cap of $289.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.32. Astrazeneca has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Astrazeneca will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,076,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Visionary Wealth Advisors now owns 4,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Vista Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 21,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,723,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 3,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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.