Barclays Reiterates Buy Rating for Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by analysts at Barclays in a note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on AZN. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of NYSE:AZN traded down $5.66 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $180.01. 430,181 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,571,971. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $191.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $184.13. Astrazeneca has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month 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 has a market capitalization of $279.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.25.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion. Analysts predict that Astrazeneca will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.