AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Upgraded at UBS Group

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) was upgraded by research analysts at UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports.

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

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $63.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $197.82 billion, a PE ratio of 30.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. AstraZeneca has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.06.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The business had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 19.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.8% in the second quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,347,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 40.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently 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.