Zacks Research Upgrades Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) to “Hold”

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on AZN. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Nordea Equity Research upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $162.21 on Tuesday. Astrazeneca has a one year low of $153.41 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $161.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.27.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.17 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 6.8% in the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 422,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,287,000 after purchasing an additional 26,932 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 16,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,648,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,045,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 62 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, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company’s principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.