AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Upgraded at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank raised AstraZeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $63.20 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.96 billion, a PE ratio of 30.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $73.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.95. AstraZeneca has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 12.68% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at about $4,822,000. Advisory Resource Group bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $946,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $788,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 17,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,086,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.