AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Rating) was upgraded by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports.
Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “strong-buy” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, January 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on AstraZeneca from GBX 118 ($1.46) to GBX 126 ($1.56) in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.00.
AstraZeneca Stock Performance
AstraZeneca stock opened at $72.07 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $66.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $223.39 billion, a PE ratio of 67.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.52. AstraZeneca has a twelve month low of $52.65 and a twelve month high of $72.79.
AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $11.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.40 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 28.63% and a net margin of 7.42%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Red Tortoise LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 16.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
AstraZeneca Company Profile
AstraZeneca Plc is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company was founded on June 17, 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.