AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Upgraded to Buy at UBS Group

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) was upgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

AZN has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock opened at $74.43 on Thursday. AstraZeneca has a 1-year low of $60.76 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $67.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.49. The company has a market capitalization of $230.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. boosted its position in AstraZeneca by 2.2% during the third quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 6,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Veery Capital LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.