Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Earns “Buy” Rating from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on AZN. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of AZN stock traded down $4.15 on Tuesday, hitting $186.80. The stock had a trading volume of 351,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,484,442. The firm has a market capitalization 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. Astrazeneca has a 52-week low of $137.23 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $184.38 and its 200-day moving average is $187.32.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Astrazeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.