AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Stock Rating Upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $68.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $212.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $66.02 and a 200-day moving average of $65.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64. AstraZeneca has a one year low of $60.47 and a one year high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 49,492,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,351,653,000 after acquiring an additional 358,399 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 34,782,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,342,367,000 after purchasing an additional 164,183 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 5.2% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 22,946,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,553,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,295 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 39.0% in the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 14,684,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,972,000 after purchasing an additional 4,122,965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,424,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $708,617,000 after buying an additional 889,178 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.